Implications of WASH Benefits trials for water and sanitation

Patterns in child stunting by age: A cross-sectional study of 94 low- and middle-income countries

Child stunting prevalence is primarily used as an indicator of impeded physical growth due to undernutrition and infections, which also increases the risk of mortality, morbidity and cognitive problems, particularly when occurring during the 1000 days from conception to age 2 years. This paper estimated the relationship between stunting prevalence and age for children 0-59 months old in 94 low- and middle-income countries. The overall stunting prevalence was 32%. We found higher stunting prevalence among older children until around 28 months of age-presumably from longer exposure times and accumulation of adverse exposures to undernutrition and infections. In most countries, the stunting prevalence was lower for older children after around 28 months-presumably mostly due to further adverse exposures being less detrimental for older children, and catch-up growth. The age for which stunting prevalence was the highest was fairly consistent across countries. Stunting prevalence and gradient of the rise in stunting prevalence by age varied across world regions, countries, living standards and sex. Poorer countries and households had a higher prevalence at all ages and a sharper positive age gradient before age 2. Boys had higher stunting prevalence but had peak stunting prevalence at lower ages than girls. Stunting prevalence was similar for boys and girls after around age 45 months. These results suggest that programmes to prevent undernutrition and infections should focus on younger children to optimise impact in reducing stunting prevalence. Importantly, however, since some catch-up growth may be achieved after age 2, screening around this time can be beneficial.

Characterisation of anaemia amongst school going adolescent girls in rural Haryana, India

OBJECTIVE

High burden of anaemia exists amongst rural adolescent girls in India. The objective of this study was to characterise anaemia in school going adolescent girls in rural Haryana, India.

DESIGN

Linear and multiple logistic regression analysis of data collected prior to an intervention trial was conducted. Participants were classified into anaemic (haemoglobin <12 g/dl) and non-anaemic group and were further classified into deficiencies of Fe, folate or vitamin B12, mixed, anaemia of other causes and inflammation.

SETTING

Three schools in Ballabgarh block of Faridabad District, Haryana, India.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundered and ninety-eight non-anaemic and 202 anaemic adolescent girls (12-19 years).

RESULTS

Anaemic girls had 29·6 % Fe deficiency, 28·1 % folate or vitamin B12 deficiency, 15·8 % mixed deficiency and 9·7 % acute inflammation. Anaemia of other causes was found in 16·8 % of the anaemic participants. Girls with Fe and isolated folate deficiency had 2·5 times and four times higher odds of developing anaemia, respectively, as compared with non-anaemic girls. Fe deficiency with no anaemia was found amongst 11 % non-anaemic girls. Non-anaemic girls had a high prevalence of combined deficiency of folate or vitamin B12 (29·5 %) and acute inflammation (14·4 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The current strategy of Fe and folic acid supplementation alone will not suffice for achieving the desired reduction in the prevalence of anaemia as unknown causes and anaemia of inflammation contribute to a substantial proportion of anaemia. Integrating other nutrition-specific components like improving water, sanitation and hygiene practices with the ongoing micronutrient supplementation program will comprehensively tackle anaemia. Unknown causes of anaemia warrant further research.

Child Undernutrition following the Introduction of a Large-Scale Toilet Construction Campaign in India

BACKGROUND

Lack of toilets and the widespread practice of open defecation may contribute to India's large burden of child undernutrition.

OBJECTIVES

We examine whether a large national sanitation campaign launched in 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), precedes a reduction in stunting and wasting among under 5-y-old (u5) children in India.

METHODS

In this observational study, we used district-level data from before (2013-2014) and after (2015-2016) SBM from 3 national surveys to derive, as our outcomes, the percentage of u5 children per district who are stunted and wasted. We defined our exposures as 1) binary indicator of SBM and 2) percentage of households with toilets per district. Our analytic sample comprised nearly all 640 Indian districts (with ∼1200 rural/urban divisions per district per time point). Linear regression analyses controlled for baseline differences in districts, linear time trends by state, and relevant covariates.

RESULTS

Relative to pre-SBM, u5 stunting declines by 0.06% (95% CI: -0.10, -0.01; P = 0.009) with every percentage increase in households with toilets post-SBM. Rural regions and districts with higher pre-SBM toilet availability show greater decline in u5 stunting post-SBM.

CONCLUSIONS

An increase in toilet availability on a national scale, precipitated by the SBM sanitation campaign, is associated with a reduction in undernutrition among u5 children in India over the early phase of the campaign.

Exposure to open defecation can account for the Indian enigma of child height

Physical height is an important measure of human capital. However, differences in average height across developing countries are poorly explained by economic differences. Children in India are shorter than poorer children in Africa, a widely studied puzzle called "the Asian enigma." This paper proposes and quantitatively investigates the hypothesis that differences in sanitation - and especially in the population density of open defecation - can statistically account for an important component of the Asian enigma, India's gap relative to sub-Saharan Africa. The paper's main result computes a demographic projection of the increase in the average height of Indian children, if they were counterfactually exposed to sub-Saharan African sanitation, using a non-parametric reweighting method. India's projected increase in mean height is at least as large as the gap. The analysis also critically reviews evidence from recent estimates in the literature. Two possible mechanisms are effects on children and on their mothers.

Multisector nutrition gains amidst evidence scarcity: scoping review of policies, data and interventions to reduce child stunting in Afghanistan

Background

Child health indicators have substantially improved across the last decade, yet Afghanistan has among the highest child stunting and malnutrition rates in Asia. Multisectoral approaches were recently introduced but evidence for this approach to improve support for and implementation of child nutrition programmes is limited compared to other countries.

Methods

We reviewed policy and programme data to identify best practices and gaps surrounding child malnutrition in Afghanistan. We conducted a scoping review using broad search categories and approaches, including database and website searches, reference hand-searches, purposive policy and programme document request, and key informant interviews. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed iteratively, with abstracts and documents assessed against the final criteria. We abstracted documents systematically and summarised and synthesised content to generate the main findings.

Results

We included 18 policies and strategies, 45 data sources and reports, and 20 intervention evaluations. Movement towards multisectoral efforts to address malnutrition at the policy level has started; however, integrated nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions are not yet uniformly delivered at the community level. Many data sources capturing nutrition, food security and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) indicators are available but indicator definitions are not standardised and there are few longitudinal nutrition surveys. Political will to improve household nutrition status has shown increased government and donor investments in nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific programmes through combined small- and large-scale interventions between 2004 and 2013; however, evidence for interventions that effectively decrease stunting prevalence is limited.

Conclusions

This review shows a breadth of nutrition programme, policy and data in Afghanistan. Multisector approaches faced challenges of reaching sufficient coverage as they often included a package of food security, livelihoods and health interventions but were each implemented independently. Further implementation evidence is needed to aid policy and programmes on effective integration of nutrition, food security and WASH in Afghanistan.

Risk reduction of diarrhea and respiratory infections following a community health education program - a facility-based case-control study in rural parts of Kenya

Background

Diarrheal and acute respiratory infections remain a major cause of death in developing countries especially among children below 5 years of age. About 80% of all hospital attendances in Kenya can be attributed to preventable diseases and at least 50% of these preventable diseases are linked to poor sanitation. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a community-based health education program, called Familia Nawiri, in reducing the risk of diarrhea and respiratory infections among people living in three rural Kenyan communities.

Methods

Cases were defined as patients attending the health facility due to diarrhea or a respiratory infection while controls were patients attending the same health facility for a non-communicable disease defined as an event other than diarrhea, respiratory infection. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a logistic regression model to assess the risk of diarrheal or respiratory infection in association with exposure to the health education program.

Results

There were 324 cases and 308 controls recruited for the study with 57% of the cases and 59% of the controls being male. Overall, 13% of cases vs. 20% of control patients were exposed to the education program. Participants exposed to the program had 38% lower odds of diarrhea and respiratory infections compared to those not exposed to the program (adjusted OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41–0.96). A similar risk reduction was observed for participants in the study who resided in areas with water improvement initiatives (adjusted OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47–0.90). Variables in the adjusted model included water improvement projects in the area and toilet facilities.

Conclusion

Findings from this study suggest participants exposed to the education program and those residing in areas with water improvement initiatives have a reduced risk of having diarrhea or respiratory infection.

Review of policies, data, and interventions to improve maternal nutrition in Afghanistan

Malnutrition contributes to direct and indirect causes of maternal mortality, which is particularly high in Afghanistan. Women's nutritional status before, during, and after pregnancy affects their own well‐being and mortality risk and their children's health outcomes. Though maternal nutrition interventions have documented positive impact on select child health outcomes, there are limited data regarding the effects of maternal nutrition interventions on maternal health outcomes globally. This scoping review maps policies, data, and interventions aiming to address poor maternal nutrition outcomes in Afghanistan. We used broad search categories and approaches including database and website searches, hand searches of reference lists from relevant articles, policy and programme document requests, and key informant interviews. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed by type of source document, such as studies with measures related to maternal nutrition, relevant policies and strategies, and programmatic research or evaluation by a third party with explicit interventions targeting maternal nutrition. We abstracted documents systematically, summarized content, and synthesized data. We included 20 policies and strategies, 29 data reports, and nine intervention evaluations. The availability of maternal nutrition intervention data and the inclusion of nutrition indicators, such as minimum dietary diversity, have increased substantially since 2013, yet few nutrition evaluations and population surveys include maternal outcomes as primary or even secondary outcomes. There is little evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that target maternal nutrition in Afghanistan. Policies and strategies more recently have shifted towards multisectoral efforts and specifically target nutrition needs of adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. This scoping review presents evidence from more than 10 years of efforts to improve the maternal nutrition status of Afghan women. We recommend a combination of investments in measuring maternal nutrition indicators and improving maternal nutrition knowledge and behaviours.

Association of Poor Sanitation With Growth Measurements Among Children in India

Importance

Much research on sanitation and linear growth in low- and middle-income countries focuses on children younger than 5 years. However, poor sanitation may be associated with growth faltering during middle and late childhood to a greater extent than previously recognized.

Objective

To characterize the association of poor sanitation with height-for-age z (HAZ) scores in children and adolescents in India aged 0 to 18 years.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study examined 134 882 children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years who were surveyed in the fourth round of India's District Level Household and Facilities Survey (survey conducted August 2012 to February 2014). Data were analyzed from June 1, 2019, to August 20, 2019.

Exposures

Proportion of households reporting open defecation at the village level (to account for its high negative externality) and household-level access to boiled or filtered drinking water.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Individual-level HAZ scores were measured in standard deviations. The association of exposures with outcomes was estimated using ordinary least-squares regression stratified by sex (boys and girls) and 4 age groups (≤1, >1 to ≤7, >7 to ≤12, >12 to ≤18 years). Models controlled for parental height and education, socioeconomic status, maternal age at birth, hemoglobin level, and indicators for state and birth year to adjust for regional (state) and temporal (birth year) fixed effects.

Results

The sample comprised 70 463 male (52.5%) and 64 419 female (47.8%) children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years; 46 722 participants (34.6%) were aged older than 12 to 18 years. Open defecation was inversely associated with HAZ score among all age groups except boys aged 1 year and younger (>1 to ≤7 years: β, -0.22; 95% CI, -0.35 to -0.10; >7 to ≤12 years: β, -0.15; 95% CI, -0.24 to -0.06; >12 to ≤18 years: β, -0.10; 95% CI, -0.19 to -0.01) and among girls aged between 7 and 18 years (>7 to ≤12 years: β, -0.22; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.12; >12 to ≤18 years: β, -0.16; 95% CI, -0.23 to -0.09). Boiled or filtered drinking water was positively associated with HAZ score among younger girls (≤1 year: β, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.45; >1 to ≤7 years: β, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.14) and across all age groups in boys (≤1 years: β, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.35; >1 to ≤7 years: β, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.14; >7 to ≤12 years: β, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.13; >12 to ≤18 years: β, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.11).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, open defecation and lack of boiled or filtered drinking water were inversely associated with height-for-age measures across all ages in children and adolescents in India. Improved sanitation may benefit growth among children and adolescents older than 5 years.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in sub-Saharan Africa and associations with undernutrition, and governance in children under five years of age: a systematic review

Associations between different forms of malnutrition and environmental conditions, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), may contribute towards persistently poor child health, growth and cognitive development. Experiencing poor nutrition in utero or during early childhood is furthermore associated with chronic diseases later in life. The primary responsibility for provision of water and sanitation, as a basic service and human right, lies with the State; however, a number of stakeholders are involved. The situation is most critical in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where, in 2015, 311 million people lacked a safe water source, and >70% of SSA populations were living without adequate sanitation. The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review to investigate the state of literature concerned with WASH and its association with nutritional status, and governance in children from birth to 5 years of age in SSA. Articles were sourced from PubMed Central, Science Direct and ProQuest Social Science databases published between 1990 and 2017. The PRISMA Statement was utilised and this systematic review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42017071700). The search terms returned 15,351 articles for screening, with 46 articles included. This is indicative of a limited body of knowledge; however, the number of publications on this topic has been increasing, suggesting burgeoning field of interest. Targeted research on the governance of WASH through the identification of the various role players and stakeholders at various levels, while understanding the policy environment in relation to particular health-related outcomes is imperative to address the burden of child undernutrition.

Prevention and Control of Anemia Amongst Children and Adolescents: Theory and Practice in India

Anemia is a major public health problem in India with prevalence of more than 50% amongst children and adolescents. The decline in the burden of anemia has been insignificant over the past 5 decades. The present review assesses the National Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Anemia in India, the current status of the program implementation and possible reasons for the continued high prevalence of anemia in the country.

A Faecal Contamination Index for interpreting heterogeneous diarrhoea impacts of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions and overall, regional and country estimates of community sanitation coverage with a focus on low- and middle-income countries

OBJECTIVES

The impact on diarrhoea of sanitation interventions has been heterogeneous. We hypothesize that this is due to the level of prevailing faecal environmental contamination and propose a Faecal Contamination Index (FAECI) of selected WASH indicators (objective 1). Additionally, we provide estimates of the proportion of the population living in communities above certain sanitation coverage levels (objective 2).

METHODS

Objective 1: Faecal contamination post-intervention was estimated from WASH intervention reports. WASH indicators composing the FAECI included eight water, sanitation and hygiene practice indicators, which were selected for their relevance for health and data availability at study- and country-level. The association between the estimated level of faecal environmental contamination and diarrhoea was examined using meta-regression. Objective 2: A literature search was conducted to identify health-relevant community sanitation coverage thresholds. To estimate total community coverage with basic sanitation in low- and middle-income countries, at relevant thresholds, household surveys with data available at primary sampling unit (PSU)-level were analysed according to the identified thresholds, at country-, regional- and overall level.

RESULTS

Objective 1: We found a non-linear association between estimated environmental faecal contamination and sanitation interventions' impact on diarrhoeal disease. Diarrhoea reductions were highest at lower faecal contamination levels, and no diarrhoea reduction was found when contamination increased above a certain level. Objective 2: Around 45% of the population lives in communities with more than 75% of coverage with basic sanitation and 24% of the population lives in communities above 95% coverage, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

High prevailing faecal contamination might explain interventions' poor effectiveness in reducing diarrhoea. The here proposed Faecal Contamination Index is a first attempt to estimate the level of faecal contamination in communities. Much of the world's population currently lives in faecally contaminated environments as indicated by low community sanitation coverage.

Effects of improved drinking water quality on early childhood growth in rural Uttar Pradesh, India: A propensity-score analysis

Context

Recent randomised controlled trials in Bangladesh and Kenya concluded that household water treatment, alone or in combination with upgraded sanitation and handwashing, did not reduce linear growth faltering or improve other child growth outcomes. Whether these results are applicable in areas with distinct constellations of water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) risks is unknown. Analysis of observational data offers an efficient means to assess the external validity of trial findings. We studied whether a water quality intervention could improve child growth in a rural Indian setting with higher levels of circulating pathogens than the original trial sites.

Methods

We analysed a cross-sectional dataset including a microbiological measure of household water quality. All households accessed water from an improved source. We applied propensity score methods to emulate a randomised trial investigating the hypothesis that receipt of drinking water meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1 quality standards for absence of faecal contamination leads to improved growth. Growth outcomes (stunting, underweight, wasting, and their corresponding Z-scores) were assessed in children 12–23 months of age. For each outcome, we estimated the mean and 95% confidence interval of the absolute risk difference between treatment groups.

Findings

Of 1088 households, 442 (40.62%) received drinking water meeting SDG 6.1 standards. The adjusted risk of child underweight was 7.4% (1.3% to 13.4%) lower among those drinking water satisfying SDG 6.1 norms than among controls. Evidence concerning the relationship of drinking water meeting SDG 6.1 norms to length-for-age and weight-for-age was inconclusive, and there was no apparent relationship with stunting or wasting.

Conclusions

In contexts characterised by high pathogen transmission, water quality improvements have the potential to reduce the proportion of underweight children, but are unlikely to impact stunting or wasting. Further research is required to assess how these modelled benefits can best be achieved in real world settings.