Mobile phone tools to improve sanitation and water in crowded city neighborhoods
Official title: Environmental and Sanitation Improvements with mHealth
Funded at Georgia State University · NIH-11360488 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses mobile phone tools to help people in crowded, low-income urban neighborhoods report sanitation problems and connect with service providers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $153,237 |
| NIH project number | 4R33TW012610-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360488 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are residents of densely populated, low-income urban or informal neighborhoods who use a mobile phone and want to report or help resolve local sanitation issues.
✕Less likely to help
People without regular access to a mobile phone, those living outside the targeted urban neighborhoods, or those whose sanitation services are already adequate are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would use a phone app or messaging system to report sanitation problems, get updates, and participate in planning local solutions. The team will co-design the tools with community members and local sanitation providers so the system fits local needs. They will pilot the program in densely populated, underserved city neighborhoods and track reports, responses, and changes in sanitation conditions. Results will be used to improve the tools and plan broader rollouts with government partners.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could speed up fixes to water and sanitation problems and reduce health risks from contaminated water and poor sanitation.
How similar studies have gone: Similar mobile health and reporting systems have improved communication and service delivery in other public health areas, but applying them at scale for urban sanitation in slum communities is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Georgia State University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stauber, Christine Elizabeth — Georgia State University
- Study coordinator: Stauber, Christine Elizabeth
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.