Water, Sanitation and Children’s Health : Evidence from 172 DHS Surveys
This paper combines 172 Demography and Health Survey data sets from 70 countries to estimate the effect of water and sanitation on child mortality and morbidity. The results show a robust association between access to water and sanitation technolog...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100419124219 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3762 |
| Summary: | This paper combines 172 Demography and
Health Survey data sets from 70 countries to estimate the
effect of water and sanitation on child mortality and
morbidity. The results show a robust association between
access to water and sanitation technologies and both child
morbidity and child mortality. The point estimates imply,
depending on the technology level and the sub-region chosen,
that water and sanitation infrastructure lowers the odds of
children to suffering from diarrhea by 7-17 percent, and
reduces the mortality risk for children under the age of
five by about 5-20 percent. The effects seem largest for
modern sanitation technologies and least significant for
basic water supply. The authors also find evidence for the
Mills-Reincke Multiplier for both water and sanitation
access as well as positive health externalities for
sanitation investments. The overall magnitude of the
estimated effects appears smaller than coefficients reported
in meta-studies based on randomized field trials, suggesting
limits to the scalability and sustainability of the health
benefits associated with water and sanitation interventions. |
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