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Drinking water source, diarrheal morbidity, and child growth in villages with both traditional and improved water supplies in rural Lesotho, Southern Africa

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  • Esrey, S.A.
  • Habicht, J.-P.
  • Latham, M.C.
  • Sisler, D.G.
  • Casella, G.

Abstract

This study examined the growth and morbidity rates of young children in relation to exclusive and non-exclusive use of improved water supplies in rural Lesotho, southern Africa. Data were collected for 247 children 60 months of age and under between July 1984 and February 1985 in 10 villages that had an improved water supply at least one year prior to investigation. Children whose families relied exclusively on the new water supply for their drinking and cooking needs grew 0.438 cm and 235 g more in six months than children whose families supplemented the new water supply with the use of contaminated traditional water for drinking and cooking. The difference in growth was greater among children over 12 months of age at the start of the evaluation than among infants. This may be explained partly by lower rates for Giardia lamblia, the most commonly identified pathogen in stools in older children. Among infants, similar rates of Campylobacter, the most commonly isolated pathogen among infants, may have prevented larger differences. Results suggest that improved drinking water supplies can benefit preschool children's health after infancy, but only if they are functioning and utilized exclusively for drinking and cooking purposes.

Suggested Citation

  • Esrey, S.A. & Habicht, J.-P. & Latham, M.C. & Sisler, D.G. & Casella, G., 1988. "Drinking water source, diarrheal morbidity, and child growth in villages with both traditional and improved water supplies in rural Lesotho, Southern Africa," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 78(11), pages 1451-1455.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1988:78:11:1451-1455_5
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul H. McClelland & Claire T. Kenney & Federico Palacardo & Nicholas L. S. Roberts & Nicholas Luhende & Jason Chua & Jennifer Huang & Priyanka Patel & Leonardo Albertini Sanchez & Won J. Kim & John K, 2022. "Improved Water and Waste Management Practices Reduce Diarrhea Risk in Children under Age Five in Rural Tanzania: A Community-Based, Cross-Sectional Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Hoddinott, John, 1997. "Water, health, and income," FCND discussion papers 25, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Noshaba Aziz & Jun He & Tanwne Sarker & Hongguang Sui, 2021. "Exploring the Role of Health Expenditure and Maternal Mortality in South Asian Countries: An Approach towards Shaping Better Health Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Alok Bhargava, 2015. "Diet Quality, Child Health, and Food Policies in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 247-276.
    5. Seungman Cha & Douk Kang & Benedict Tuffuor & Gyuhong Lee & Jungmyung Cho & Jihye Chung & Myongjin Kim & Hoonsang Lee & Jaeeun Lee & Chunghyeon Oh, 2015. "The Effect of Improved Water Supply on Diarrhea Prevalence of Children under Five in the Volta Region of Ghana: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, September.

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