AUTHOR=Fernandez-Haddad Marilu , Ingram Maia TITLE=Factors that Influence the Effectiveness of Sanitation Programs JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=3 YEAR=2015 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00201 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2015.00201 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=
Local governments in both Mexico and the U.S. spend considerable money on public services, which do not always bring the expected results. For instance, a large part of the public budget is destined to solve social and health problems, such as public sanitation. Government has attacked the problem by providing public sanitation infrastructure (such as garbage and recycling receptacles) and by using social ad campaigns. However, these efforts do not always affect the habits of residents and bring the desired changes in city sanitation. This article presents a case study that used a participatory method to address an innovative city sanitation effort: The Clean City Program in Puebla, Mexico. This program adopted social marketing techniques, a discipline born in the 70s when the principles and practices developed to sell products and services started to be applied to sell ideas, attitudes, or behaviors. Social marketing programs have been adopted by governments to change attitudes and behavior in areas such as public services. The article first describes the context and strategies of the program, which included the use of the