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Owuor PM, Miller JD, Kanugula SS, Yeam J, Collins S, Obure V, Arunga T, Otieno P, Olack B, Butler LM, Bukusi EA, Cohen CR, Weiser SD, Young SL. The influence of an agricultural intervention on social capital and water insecurity coping strategies: Qualitative evidence from female smallholder farmers living with HIV in western Kenya. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32058. [PMID: 38873679 PMCID: PMC11170164 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Greater social capital is associated with positive health outcomes and better HIV management. The ways by which social capital may influence household water insecurity (HHWI), a critical determinant of health among persons living with HIV, remain underexplored. Further, despite the importance of reliable water access and use for health and agricultural productivity, few studies have described the strategies smallholder farmers living with HIV use to manage water insecurity. Objective We qualitatively explored how an agricultural intervention (provision of a treadle pump for irrigation) influenced HHWI coping strategies through its impacts on social capital among smallholder farmers living with HIV in western Kenya. Method In 2018, we purposively recruited participants from the Shamba Maisha study, a randomized agricultural intervention (NCT02815579) that provided irrigation pumps to improve treatment outcomes and food security among smallholder farmers living with HIV in western Kenya (n = 42). Participants shared their experiences with water insecurity through go-along and photo-elicitation interviews. Data were thematically analyzed using inductively developed codes. Results Participants described diverse strategies for coping with agricultural water insecurity. Dimensions of social capital such as feelings of belonging, connectedness, and trust influenced the use of the treadle water pump and other water access behaviors. For instance, participants reported borrowing or sharing water pumps with friends and neighbors if they felt they had a good rapport. In addition, participants indicated a willingness to engage in collective activities, such as supporting the operation of the irrigation pump during planting, when they felt sufficiently connected to a larger group. Overall, individuals in the intervention arm described greater social cohesion, reciprocity, and community connectedness than those in the control arm. Conclusion The impact of an agricultural intervention on water access and use was described as being modified by social capital among female smallholder farmers living with HIV. Findings suggest that social capital may create an enabling environment for implementing strategies that improve the management and reduce the burden of HIV. Measuring these strategies and their associations with HIV outcomes may strengthen our understanding of resilience among female smallholder farmers living with HIV. The development of a coping strategies index and its use in a longitudinal study could help to identify pathways through which social capital influences health and the effectiveness of livelihood interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M. Owuor
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Joshua D. Miller
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Samanvi S. Kanugula
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Joohee Yeam
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Shalean Collins
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Valeria Obure
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Titus Arunga
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Illinois, 60208, USA
| | | | - Beatrice Olack
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Lisa M. Butler
- Department of Public Health Services, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | | | - Craig R. Cohen
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Sheri D. Weiser
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Sera L. Young
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Illinois, 60208, USA
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Palmer AC, Ndubani P, Sauer M, Spielman KL, Hamangaba F, Moyo N, Munsanje B, Moss WJ, Sutcliffe CG. Food and water insecurity in households of children and adolescents living with HIV and receiving care in a rural Zambian hospital: A mixed-methods study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300033. [PMID: 38833483 PMCID: PMC11149834 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Approximately 62,000 Zambian children are living with HIV. HIV care and treatment is generally more limited in rural areas, where a heavy reliance on rain-fed subsistence agriculture also places households at risk of food and water insecurity. We nested a mixed methods study with an explanatory sequential design in a clinical cohort of children and adolescents living with HIV (CHIV) in rural Zambia. We used validated questionnaires to assess household food and water insecurity and examined associations between indicators derived from those scales, household characteristics, and HIV treatment adherence and outcomes using log-binomial regression. We identified caregivers and older CHIV from food insecure households for in-depth interviews. Of 186 participants completing assessments, 72% lived in moderately or severely food insecure households and 2% in water insecure households. Food insecurity was more prevalent in households of lower socioeconomic status (80% vs. 59% for higher scores; p = 0.02) and where caregivers had completed primary (79%) vs. secondary school or higher (62%; p = 0.01). No other characteristics or outcomes were associated with food insecurity. Parents limited both the quality and quantity of foods they consumed to ensure food availability for their CHIV. Coping strategies included taking on piecework or gathering wild foods; livestock ownership was a potential buffer. Accessing sufficient clean water was less of a concern. During periods of drought or service interruption, participants travelled further for drinking water and accessed water for other purposes from alternative sources or reduced water use. Community contributions afforded some protection against service interruptions. Overall, while food insecurity was prevalent, strategies used by parents may have protected children from a measurable impact on HIV care or treatment outcomes. Reinforcing social protection programs by integrating livestock ownership and strengthening water infrastructure may further protect CHIV in the case of more extreme food or water system shocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C. Palmer
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | - Molly Sauer
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kathryn L. Spielman
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | | | | | - William J. Moss
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Catherine G. Sutcliffe
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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Workman CL, Miller JD, Shah SH, Maes K, Tesfaye Y, Mapunda KM. Frequency and perceived difficulty of household water experiences in Morogoro, Tanzania: Evidence of the psychosocial burden of water insecurity. SSM - MENTAL HEALTH 2024; 5:100295. [PMID: 39099889 PMCID: PMC11293490 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra L. Workman
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, United States
| | - Joshua D. Miller
- Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Sameer H. Shah
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, United States
| | - Kenneth Maes
- Anthropology Program, School of Language, Culture & Society, Oregon State University, United States
| | - Yihenew Tesfaye
- Department of Social Anthropology, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
| | - Kenneth M. Mapunda
- Department of Agricultural Extension and Community Development, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
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Collins SM, Mock N, Chaparro MP, Rose D, Watkins B, Wutich A, Young SL. Toward a more systematic understanding of water insecurity coping strategies: insights from 11 global sites. BMJ Glob Health 2024; 9:e013754. [PMID: 38821550 PMCID: PMC11149151 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Water insecurity-the inability to access and benefit from affordable, reliable and safe water for basic needs-is a considerable global health threat. With the urgent need to target interventions to the most vulnerable, accurate and meaningful measurement is a priority. Households use diverse strategies to cope with water insecurity; however, these have not been systematically characterised nor measured. The Food Insecurity Coping Strategies Index has been insightful for targeting nutrition interventions to the most vulnerable. As a first step towards creating an analogous scale for water, this study characterises the largest empirical data set on water insecurity coping strategies and proposes guidance on measuring it using a novel toolkit. METHODS Open-ended responses on water insecurity coping (n=2301) were collected across 11 sites in 10 low- and middle-income countries in the Household Water InSecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale validation study. Responses were characterised and compared with behaviours identified in the literature to construct an instrument to systematically assess coping. RESULTS We identified 19 distinct strategies that households used when experiencing water insecurity. These findings, paired with prior literature, were used to develop a Water Insecurity Coping Strategies Assessment Toolkit with guidance on its piloting to assess coping prevalence, frequency and severity. CONCLUSIONS The widespread occurrence of water insecurity coping strategies underscores the importance of understanding their prevalence and severity. The Water Insecurity Coping Strategies Assessment Toolkit offers a comprehensive approach to evaluate these strategies and inform the design and monitoring of interventions targeting those most vulnerable to water insecurity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalean M Collins
- Department of International Health and Sustainable Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Nancy Mock
- Department of International Health and Sustainable Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - M Pia Chaparro
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Donald Rose
- Tulane Nutrition, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Benjamin Watkins
- Department of International Health and Sustainable Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Sera L Young
- Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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Thomson P, Pearson AL, Kumpel E, Guzmán DB, Workman CL, Fuente D, Wutich A, Stoler J. Water Supply Interruptions Are Associated with More Frequent Stressful Behaviors and Emotions but Mitigated by Predictability: A Multisite Study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:7010-7019. [PMID: 38598435 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Water supply interruptions contribute to household water insecurity. Unpredictable interruptions may particularly exacerbate water insecurity, as uncertainty limits households' ability to optimize water collection and storage or to modify other coping behaviors. This study used regression models of survey data from 2873 households across 10 sites in 9 middle-income countries to assess whether water supply interruptions and the predictability of interruptions were related to composite indicators of stressful behaviors and emotional distress. More frequent water service interruptions were associated with more frequent emotional distress (β = 0.49, SE = 0.05, P < 0.001) and stressful behaviors (β = 0.39, SE = 0.06, P < 0.001). Among households that experienced interruptions, predictability mitigated these respective relationships by approximately 25 and 50%. Where the provision of continuous water supplies is challenged by climate change, population growth, and poor management, water service providers may be able to mitigate some psychosocial consequences of intermittency through scheduled intermittency and communication about water supply interruptions. Service providers unable to supply continuous water should optimize intermittent water delivery to reduce negative impacts on users, and global monitoring regimes should account for intermittency and predictability in post-2030 water service metrics to better reflect household water insecurity experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Thomson
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, U.K
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, U.K
| | - Amber L Pearson
- CS Mott Department of Public Health, Michigan State University, Flint, Michigan 48503, United States
| | - Emily Kumpel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Danice B Guzmán
- Pulte Institute of Global Development, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Cassandra L Workman
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina 27412, United States
| | - David Fuente
- School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Justin Stoler
- Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33136, United States
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Brewis A, Choudhary N, Wutich A. Men's household water fetching in India: Gender inequity is associated with greater responsibility and related risks. Am J Hum Biol 2024; 36:e23990. [PMID: 37740605 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Household water fetching elevates physical and emotional harms, and these are generally assumed to accrue to women due to gendered labor assignments. But even in cases like India where fetching remains a highly feminized task, there are households where the primary responsibility is assumed by men. METHODS We test the proposition that men's responsibility for water fetching is predicted by greater gender equity, reflected in measures of wives' empowerment. We used an extremely large, nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey dataset from India (2019-2020), narrowed to only households in which spouses co-reside with off-plot water sources (N = 10 616), and applying a multinomial regression approach. RESULTS In >20% of households, men are the primary fetchers. They are more likely to have primary responsibility when water is more distant, privately purchased, or transported by vehicle. Contrary to predictions, men assume greater responsibility for household water fetching as their wives' empowerment measures decrease and when they want to control their movement. CONCLUSION Married men in India sometimes assume responsibility for water fetching, but this is not explained by greater household gender equity. The findings also suggest that when men are responsible for fetching they have heightened risk of some forms of physical trauma but less relative psychological harm. Detailing why men fetch water matters for identifying and mitigating the physical and emotion harms of bearing responsibility for water labor, with implications for how gender should be conceptualized in water interventions intending to improve health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Brewis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Neetu Choudhary
- Center for Global Health, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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Ford L, Bethancourt HJ, Swanson Z, Nzunza R, Wutich A, Brewis A, Young S, Almeida D, Douglass M, Ndiema EK, Braun DR, Pontzer H, Rosinger AY. Water Insecurity, Water Borrowing, and Psychosocial Stress Among Daasanach Pastoralists in Northern Kenya. WATER INTERNATIONAL 2022; 48:63-86. [PMID: 38800511 PMCID: PMC11126231 DOI: 10.1080/02508060.2022.2138050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
This article quantifies Daasanach water insecurity experiences in Northern Kenya, examines how water insecurity is associated with water borrowing and psychosocial stress, and evaluates if water borrowing mitigates the stress from water insecurity. Of 133 households interviewed in 7 communities, 94% were water insecure and 74.4% borrowed water three or more times in the prior month. Regression analyses demonstrate water borrowing frequency moderates the relationship between water insecurity and psychosocial stress. Only those who rarely or never borrowed water reported greater stress with higher water insecurity. The coping mechanism of water borrowing may help blunt water insecurity-related stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Ford
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
| | - Hilary J Bethancourt
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Institute for Research Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Zane Swanson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | | | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
| | - Alexandra Brewis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
| | - Sera Young
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Institute for Research Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - David Almeida
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
| | - Matthew Douglass
- College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
| | | | - David R. Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Asher Y. Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College PA
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Impact of water insecurity amidst endemic and pandemic in Pakistan: Two tales unsolved. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022; 81:104350. [PMID: 36106063 PMCID: PMC9464874 DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Drinking Water Supply in Rural Africa Based on a Mini-Grid Energy System—A Socio-Economic Case Study for Rural Development. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14159458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Water is an essential resource required for various human activities such as drinking, cooking, growing food, and personal hygiene. As a key infrastructure of public services, access to clean and safe drinking water is an essential factor for local socio-economic development. Despite various national and international efforts, water supply is often not guaranteed, especially in rural areas of Africa. Although many water resources are theoretically available in these areas, bodies of water are often contaminated with dangerous pathogens and pollutants. As a result, people, often women and children, have to travel long distances to collect water from taps and are exposed to dangers such as physical violence and accidents on their way. In this article, we present a socio-economic case study for rural development. We describe a drinking water treatment plant with an annual capacity of 10,950 m3 on Kibumba Island in Lake Victoria (Tanzania). The plant is operated by a photovoltaic mini-grid system with second-life lithium-ion battery storage. We describe the planning, the installation, and the start of operation of the water treatment system. In addition, we estimate the water prices achievable with the proposed system and compare it to existing sources of drinking water on Kibumba Island. Assuming a useful life of 15 years, the installed drinking water system is cost-neutral for the community at a cost price of 0.70 EUR/m3, 22% less than any other source of clean water on Kibumba Island. Access to safe and clean drinking water is a major step forward for the local population. We investigate the socio-economic added value using social and economic key indicators like health, education, and income. Hence, this approach may serve as a role model for community-owned drinking water systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Experiences of inequalities in access to safe water and psycho-emotional distress in Ghana. Soc Sci Med 2022; 301:114970. [PMID: 35430464 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Research suggests that experiences of water insecurity may negatively impact the psycho-emotional wellbeing of water-insecure households. This paper examines how perceived inequalities in water access mediate the relationship between water insecurity and psycho-emotional distress. Data were collected among 1192 men and women in Ghana who are active water collectors within their households. We employed a binary logistics regression to identify the determinants of psycho-emotional distress. Sobel test was used to test the indirect effect of water insecurity and psycho-emotional distress through perceived inequalities. The results show that wealth (OR = 6.6, CI = 2.784-14.076), number of people in a household (OR = 1.07, CI = 1.002-1.145) and perceived inequalities (OR = 4.6, CI = 2.737-7.907) are significant predictors of psycho-emotional distress. Sobel test indicated that the point estimate (PE) of the indirect effect between water insecurity and psycho-emotional distress through perceived inequality is -0.136 (p = 0.000), meaning households were less likely to experience psycho-emotional distress if they felt that safe water facilities were equally distributed. The findings suggest that the distribution of water resources in cities with water challenges, no matter how scarce those resources are, has a profound effect on psycho-emotional distress. In resources constrained cities, there is a need for holistic water-related interventions that make inclusivity and fairness their primary focus.
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