IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v197y2018icp192-202.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Household water insecurity after a historic flood: Diarrhea and dehydration in the Bolivian Amazon

Author

Listed:
  • Rosinger, Asher Y.

Abstract

While 884 million people worldwide lack access to clean water, millions live in flood-prone regions. Unexpected flooding increases risk of diarrheal diseases and is expected to occur with increased frequency in the 21st century. Water insecurity is linked to mental distress in water scarce regions, yet this construct has not been examined closely among populations living in flood-prone regions. This paper examines how differences in water sources and lifestyle among Tsimane’ forager-horticulturalists in lowland Bolivia are related to water insecurity after a historic flood in 2014, and in turn, how water insecurity is associated with diarrhea and dehydration. Pre-flood data come from qualitative interviews with 36 household heads, anthropometrics, participant observation, and water quality analysis between September 2013–January 2014 used to create a locally-adapted water insecurity questionnaire. Water insecurity was measured after the historic flood; no pre-flood water insecurity measures are available. Post-flood data were collected through surveys, water quality analysis, and health exams using near-exhaustive sampling in two villages, yielding 118 adults and 115 children (aged 2–12 years) in 62 households between March–April 2014. Overall, 89% of adults reported medium or high water insecurity. Only hand-pumps tested negative for pathogenic bacteria both pre- and post-flood. Tobit regressions suggest that hand-pumps (when available) and adult age were associated with lower water insecurity scores. Multiple logistic regressions suggest that adults with high water insecurity were more likely to report diarrhea than adults with low (Odds Ratio [OR] 9.2; 95% CI: 1.27–67.1). Children from households with medium (OR: 6.8; 95% CI: 1.41–32.5) or high (OR: 14.0; 95% CI: 2.40–81.5) water insecurity had significantly higher odds of dehydration than children in households with low water insecurity. Catastrophic flooding may systematically increase dimensions of household water insecurity. This research suggests an experience-based measure of water insecurity is associated with objective health outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosinger, Asher Y., 2018. "Household water insecurity after a historic flood: Diarrhea and dehydration in the Bolivian Amazon," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 192-202.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:197:y:2018:i:c:p:192-202
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953617307463
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.016?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nichter, Mark, 1985. "Drink boiled water: A cultural analysis of a health education message," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 667-669, January.
    2. Hampshire, Katherine Rebecca & Panter-Brick, Catherine & Kilpatrick, Kate & Casiday, Rachel E., 2009. "Saving lives, preserving livelihoods: Understanding risk, decision-making and child health in a food crisis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 758-765, February.
    3. Wutich, Amber & Ragsdale, Kathleen, 2008. "Water insecurity and emotional distress: Coping with supply, access, and seasonal variability of water in a Bolivian squatter settlement," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2116-2125, December.
    4. Stevenson, Edward G.J. & Greene, Leslie E. & Maes, Kenneth C. & Ambelu, Argaw & Tesfaye, Yihenew Alemu & Rheingans, Richard & Hadley, Craig, 2012. "Water insecurity in 3 dimensions: An anthropological perspective on water and women's psychosocial distress in Ethiopia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 392-400.
    5. Lee Cronbach, 1951. "Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 16(3), pages 297-334, September.
    6. Sorenson, Susan B. & Morssink, Christiaan & Campos, Paola Abril, 2011. "Safe access to safe water in low income countries: Water fetching in current times," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1522-1526, May.
    7. M. Khan & Oliver Gruebner & Alexander Krämer, 2014. "Is area affected by flood or stagnant water independently associated with poorer health outcomes in urban slums of Dhaka and adjacent rural areas?," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 70(1), pages 549-565, January.
    8. Tallman, Paula Skye, 2016. "The Index of Vulnerability: An anthropological method linking social-ecological systems to mental and physical health outcomes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 68-78.
    9. Roger Few, 2003. "Flooding, vulnerability and coping strategies: local responses to a global threat," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 3(1), pages 43-58, January.
    10. Klaas Sijtsma, 2009. "On the Use, the Misuse, and the Very Limited Usefulness of Cronbach’s Alpha," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 74(1), pages 107-120, March.
    11. Eichelberger, L.P., 2010. "Living in utility scarcity: Energy and water insecurity in Northwest Alaska," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(6), pages 1010-1018.
    12. Arnaud Reynaud & Cécile Aubert & Manh-Hung Nguyen, 2013. "Living with Floods: Protective Behaviours and Risk Perception of Vietnamese Households," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 38(3), pages 547-579, July.
    13. Meha Jain & Yili Lim & Javier A Arce-Nazario & María Uriarte, 2014. "Perceptional and Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Household Drinking Water Management Strategies in Rural Puerto Rico," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(2), pages 1-8, February.
    14. Hadley, Craig & Stevenson, Edward Geoffrey Jedediah & Tadesse, Yemesrach & Belachew, Tefera, 2012. "Rapidly rising food prices and the experience of food insecurity in urban Ethiopia: Impacts on health and well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2412-2419.
    15. Richard Williams, 2012. "Using the margins command to estimate and interpret adjusted predictions and marginal effects," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 12(2), pages 308-331, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rosinger, Asher Y. & Bethancourt, Hilary J. & Young, Sera L. & Schultz, Alan F., 2021. "The embodiment of water insecurity: Injuries and chronic stress in lowland Bolivia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    2. Brewis, Alexandra & Choudhary, Neetu & Wutich, Amber, 2019. "Household water insecurity may influence common mental disorders directly and indirectly through multiple pathways: Evidence from Haiti," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosinger, Asher Y. & Bethancourt, Hilary J. & Young, Sera L. & Schultz, Alan F., 2021. "The embodiment of water insecurity: Injuries and chronic stress in lowland Bolivia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    2. Priscila Neves-Silva & Juliana Aurora de Oliveira Lopes & Léo Heller, 2020. "The right to water: Impact on the quality of life of rural workers in a settlement of the Landless Workers Movement, Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, July.
    3. Mushavi, Rumbidzai C. & Burns, Bridget F.O. & Kakuhikire, Bernard & Owembabazi, Moran & Vořechovská, Dagmar & McDonough, Amy Q. & Cooper-Vince, Christine E. & Baguma, Charles & Rasmussen, Justin D. & , 2020. "“When you have no water, it means you have no peace”: A mixed-methods, whole-population study of water insecurity and depression in rural Uganda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    4. Winter, James C. & Darmstadt, Gary L. & Davis, Jennifer, 2021. "The role of piped water supplies in advancing health, economic development, and gender equality in rural communities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    5. Godfred O Boateng & Shalean M Collins & Patrick Mbullo & Pauline Wekesa & Maricianah Onono & Torsten B Neilands & Sera L Young, 2018. "A novel household water insecurity scale: Procedures and psychometric analysis among postpartum women in western Kenya," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-28, June.
    6. Maes, Kenneth & Closser, Svea & Tesfaye, Yihenew & Abesha, Roza, 2019. "Psychosocial distress among unpaid community health workers in rural Ethiopia: Comparing leaders in Ethiopia's Women's Development Army to their peers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 138-146.
    7. Young, Sera L., 2021. "Viewpoint: The measurement of water access and use is key for more effective food and nutrition policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    8. Adam Pawlewicz & Wojciech Gotkiewicz & Katarzyna Brodzińska & Katarzyna Pawlewicz & Bartosz Mickiewicz & Paweł Kluczek, 2022. "Organic Farming as an Alternative Maintenance Strategy in the Opinion of Farmers from Natura 2000 Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-22, March.
    9. Panter-Brick, Catherine & Eggerman, Mark, 2018. "The field of medical anthropology in Social Science & Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 233-239.
    10. Brewis, Alexandra & Choudhary, Neetu & Wutich, Amber, 2019. "Household water insecurity may influence common mental disorders directly and indirectly through multiple pathways: Evidence from Haiti," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.
    11. Salim Moussa, 2016. "A Comment on the Estimation of the Reliability of Multidimensional Marketing Constructs: A Store Personality Scale Application," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 17(5), pages 1125-1144, October.
    12. Jeanne A. Teresi & Katja Ocepek-Welikson & John A. Toner & Marjorie Kleinman & Mildred Ramirez & Joseph P. Eimicke & Barry J. Gurland & Albert Siu, 2017. "Methodological Issues in Measuring Subjective Well-Being and Quality-of-Life: Applications to Assessment of Affect in Older, Chronically and Cognitively Impaired, Ethnically Diverse Groups Using the F," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(2), pages 251-288, June.
    13. de Boer, Joop & Aiking, Harry, 2021. "Climate change and species decline: Distinct sources of European consumer concern supporting more sustainable diets," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    14. Lena Busch & Till Utesch & Bernd Strauss, 2019. "Validation of the vignette-based German Exercise Causality Orientation Scale (G-ECOS)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, October.
    15. Eunseong Cho, 2021. "Neither Cronbach’s Alpha nor McDonald’s Omega: A Commentary on Sijtsma and Pfadt," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 86(4), pages 877-886, December.
    16. David J. Hessen, 2017. "Lower Bounds to the Reliabilities of Factor Score Estimators," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 82(3), pages 648-659, September.
    17. Érika Martins Silva Ramos & Cecilia Jakobsson Bergstad, 2021. "The Psychology of Sharing: Multigroup Analysis among Users and Non-Users of Carsharing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-17, June.
    18. Jules L. Ellis, 2021. "A Test Can Have Multiple Reliabilities," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 86(4), pages 869-876, December.
    19. Patwa, Nitin & Sivarajah, Uthayasankar & Seetharaman, Arumugam & Sarkar, Sabyasachi & Maiti, Kausik & Hingorani, Kunal, 2021. "Towards a circular economy: An emerging economies context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 725-735.
    20. Maxfield, Amanda, 2020. "Testing the theoretical similarities between food and water insecurity: Buffering hypothesis and effects on mental wellbeing," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:197:y:2018:i:c:p:192-202. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.