Cited by 264Child Nutrition and Water AccessWater Resource Management and QualityGlobal Maternal and Child Health

Freshwater availability and water fetching distance affect child health in sub-Saharan Africa

Pickering, Amy J., Davis, Jennifer·2012·Environmental Science & Technology

Abstract

Currently, more than two-thirds of the population in Africa must leave their home to fetch water for drinking and domestic use. The time burden of water fetching has been suggested to influence the volume of water collected by households as well as time spent on income generating activities and child care. However, little is known about the potential health benefits of reducing water fetching distances. Data from almost 200, 000 Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in 26 countries were used to assess the relationship between household walk time to water source and child health outcomes. To estimate the causal effect of decreased water fetching time on health, geographic variation in freshwater availability was employed as an instrumental variable for one-way walk time to water source in a two-stage regression model. Time spent walking to a household's main water source was found to be a significant determinant of under-five child health. A 15-min decrease in one-way walk time to water source is associated with a 41% average relative reduction in diarrhea prevalence, improved anthropometric indicators of child nutritional status, and a 11% relative reduction in under-five child mortality. These results suggest that reducing the time cost of fetching water should be a priority for water infrastructure investments in Africa.

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Crossref · 10.1021/es203177v

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Authors
Pickering, A. J., & Davis, J.
Affiliations
Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Pickering, Amy J.
  • Davis, Jennifer
Venue
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2012-02-09
Volume
46
Issue
4
Pages
2391-2397
ISSN
  • 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-5851
OpenAlex
W1996840718
Cited by
264
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 1
FWCI
14.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • Ministry of Education, India
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water Resource Management and Quality
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
Keywords
water fetching, child health, under-five mortality, diarrhea, child nutritional status, anthropometric indicators, time burden, water infrastructure investment, freshwater availability, sub-Saharan Africa
MeSH terms
Body Height, Body Weight, Child, Preschool, Cough, Diarrhea, Fever, Fresh Water, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Water Supply, Walking, Africa South of the Sahara, Child Mortality, Drinking Water

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