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The unintended effect of piped water at home on childhood overweight rate: experimental evidence from urban Morocco

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  • Patricia I. Ritter

    (University of Connecticut)

Abstract

Obesity is a global epidemic costing billions of dollars and millions of deaths. Roughly 79% of overweight children under five live in middle-income countries, where only about half of the households have access to piped water at home. This study exploits a social experiment that encourages connection to piped water in the city of Tangiers and finds an unintended effect: a large reduction in children’s overweight rate. It also finds evidence of several potential channels: a reduction in the cost of water, an increase in available time, in particular to perform household chores, and a reduction in stress levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Patricia I. Ritter, 2024. "The unintended effect of piped water at home on childhood overweight rate: experimental evidence from urban Morocco," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1089-1126, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:22:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s11150-023-09676-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-023-09676-4
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Childhood obesity; Piped water; Developing countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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