Impact of Drinking Water Source and Sanitation Facility on Malnutrition Prevalence in Children under Three: A
Rafit Saheed1, Muhammad Shahid2,3,4, Jun Wang3
1School of Public Policy, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
Insights
Child malnutrition in Pakistan is linked to water sources for boys and sanitation for girls. These factors, alongside poverty and maternal education, are key determinants requiring targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Child malnutrition remains a significant public health issue in Pakistan.
- Gender-specific determinants of malnutrition require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the determinants of child malnutrition in Pakistan, focusing on gender differences.
- To examine the role of sanitation facilities and drinking water sources in child malnutrition.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 1010 children under three from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017-18.
- Employed a Cumulative Index for Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) to assess malnutrition.
- Applied discrete-choice logistic regression to determine the likelihood of malnutrition.
Main Results:
- Common malnutrition determinants included deprived area, home wealth, and maternal education.
- For male children, diarrhea and drinking water source were significant predictors.
- Sanitation facilities emerged as a primary determinant for female child malnutrition.
Conclusions:
- A significant association exists between drinking water sources and malnutrition in male children.
- Sanitation facilities are strongly linked to malnutrition in female children.
- Gender-disaggregated analysis is crucial for understanding and addressing child malnutrition.
Objectives:
The proposed research studied the determinants of male and female child malnutrition in Pakistan. More specifically, it observed the role of the sanitation facility and drinking water source as important determinants of malnutrition in a gender analysis.
Methods:
Novel data of 1010 children under three years of age from PDHS 2017-18 were used. A CIAF (Cumulative Index for Anthropometric Failure) was established to assess malnourishment in the children. Discrete-choice logistic methodology was applied in this empirical research to study the likelihood of malnourishment in children.
Results:
The logistic regression results depicted that factors such as a child belonging to a deprived area, the status of home wealth, and the education of the mother were common determinants of malnutrition in children. Factors such as a child having diarrhea (OR = 1.55, CI = 0.96-2.50) and the drinking water source (OR = 0.62, CI = 0.37-1.03) were separate prominent predictors of malnutrition in male children whereas the sanitation facility was the main determinant of malnutrition in female children (OR = 0.64, CI = 0.43-0.95).
Conclusion:
This study concludes that important links exist between the drinking water source and male child malnutrition and between sanitation facilities and female child malnutrition.
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