ArticleJournal of global health2021
The interrelationship between water access, exclusive breastfeeding and diarrhea in children: a cross-sectional assessment across 19 African countries.
Article in Journal of global health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Associations of breastfeeding with maternal and child health outcomes: umbrella review.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- The Association Between Exclusive Breastfeeding and Diarrhoea Morbidity in Infants Aged 0-6 Months: A Rapid Review and Meta-Analysis.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Viral diarrhea in Ghana: a scoping review of disease burden, epidemiology, and control strategies.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Diet diversity during complementary feeding and childhood acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea in rural China.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2026Article
- Household water security and infant feeding practices in Mexico: insights from the ENSANUT 2021 survey.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Spatial distribution and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers of children under 24 months of age in Ethiopia: spatial and multilevel analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- The Social Value of Implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in an Indonesian Hospital: A Case Study.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAccess to an improved water supply and practicing exclusive breastfeeding are essential for improving maternal and child health outcomes. However, few studies have been equipped to assess the interdependencies between access to improved water, practicing exclusive breastfeeding, and child health. The primary aim of our study was to assess whether access to an improved water supply and water-fetching were associated with mothers' practice of exclusive breastfeeding.
methodsWe analyzed data on 247 090 mothers with children 5 months old or less using Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys from 19 African countries. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between our exposures and exclusive breastfeeding practice, while meta-analytic methods were used to pool adjusted estimates across 19 countries.
resultsThe prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding ranged from 22% in Nigeria to 70% in Malawi. Pooled results showed water-fetching was not associated with exclusive breastfeeding (adjusted prevalence odds ratios (aPOR) = 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.89, 1.21). Access to an improved water source was also not associated with exclusive breastfeeding (aPOR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.94, 1.21). Across all countries many women were spending a significant amount of time water-fetching each day (mean time varied from 20 minutes in Ghana to 115 minutes in Mauritania). Exclusively breastfed children had 33% lower odds of diarrhea than those who were not exclusively breastfed (aPOR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.56, 0.78).
conclusionOur study is the first to assess the relationship between access to improved water supply, water-fetching and exclusive breastfeeding. We found that access to water supply and time spent by mothers fetching water were not associated with exclusive breastfeeding practice, even though mothers spent significant time fetching water.
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