ArticlePloS one2016
An Analysis of Water Collection Labor among Women and Children in 24 Sub-Saharan African Countries.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 276 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review of the Microbiological Performance of Household Water Treatment Technologies.Environmental science & technology · 2025Pooled it
- Drinking water and the implications for gender equity and empowerment: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative evidence.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing with soap on risk of diarrhoeal disease in children in low-income and middle-income settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Lancet (London, England) · 2022Pooled it
- Diverse Health, Gender and Economic Impacts from Domestic Transport of Water and Solid Fuel: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of the association between physical demands of domestic labor and back pain among women.BMC women's health · 2021Pooled it
- How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2016Pooled it
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- Mixed-methods study to test and assess uptake for gender-specific WASH indicators in Bangladesh: study protocol.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Evaluating the association between household water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and selected placenta-related complications in The Gambia, Kenya and Mozambique.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Implementing a WASH Package Within Prevention of Vertical Transmission of HIV Programming in Lilongwe, Malawi: A Program Evaluation.Annals of global health · 2026Article
- Handwashing with soap and influencing factors in crisis-affected refugee populations in Kenya and Uganda.Conflict and health · 2025Article
- Urban water network upgrades improve quality and access to drinking water in the PAASIM matched cohort study in Beira, Mozambique.Research square · 2025Article
- Temperature and precipitation affect the water fetching time burden in Sub-Saharan Africa.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Cholera Outbreak in Nigeria: History, Review of Socioeconomic and Meteorological Drivers, Diagnostic Challenges, and Artificial Intelligence Integration.Global health, epidemiology and genomics · 2025Review
- Uncovering the hidden implications of water scarcity for maternal health: a photovoice study in rural Malawi (Thyolo district).Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIt is estimated that more than two-thirds of the population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) must leave their home to collect water, putting them at risk for a variety of negative health outcomes. There is little research, however, quantifying who is most affected by long water collection times.
objectivesThis study aims to a) describe gender differences in water collection labor among both adults and children (< 15 years of age) in the households (HHs) that report spending more than 30 minutes collecting water, disaggregated by urban and rural residence; and b) estimate the absolute number of adults and children affected by water collection times greater than 30 minutes in 24 SSA countries.
methodsWe analyzed data from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) (2005-2012) to describe water collection labor in 24 SSA countries.
resultsAmong households spending more than 30 minutes collecting water, adult females were the primary collectors of water across all 24 countries, ranging from 46% in Liberia (17,412 HHs) to 90% in Cote d'Ivoire (224,808 HHs). Across all countries, female children were more likely to be responsible for water collection than male children (62% vs. 38%, respectively). Six countries had more than 100,000 households (HHs) where children were reported to be responsible for water collection (greater than 30 minutes): Burundi (181,702 HHs), Cameroon (154,453 HHs), Ethiopia (1,321,424 HHs), Mozambique (129,544 HHs), Niger (171,305 HHs), and Nigeria (1,045,647 HHs).
conclusionIn the 24 SSA countries studied, an estimated 3.36 million children and 13.54 million adult females were responsible for water collection in households with collection times greater than 30 minutes. We suggest that accessibility to water, water collection by children, and gender ratios for water collection, especially when collection times are great, should be considered as key indicators for measuring progress in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector.
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