ArticleBMJ open2023
Association of access to water, sanitation and handwashing facilities with undernutrition of children below 5 years of age in Bangladesh: evidence from two population-based, nationally representative surveys.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices and childhood stunting in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Risk Factors of Coexisting Form of Undernutrition Among Under-5 Children in Bangladesh: Evidence From BDHS 2022 Data in a Bayesian Setting.Child: care, health and development · 2026Article
- Exploration of the Temporal Trends, Prevalence, and Factors of Acute Respiratory Infection or Diarrhoea: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Three National Surveys.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Household water, sanitation, and hygiene access and its impact on nutritional outcomes in children under five: evidence from Pakistan.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Household Water and Handwashing Facilities and Early Childhood Education Participation in Nepal: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Survey.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Spatial distribution and predictors of stunting, wasting, and underweight among under-five children in Bangladesh.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Childhood Wasting and its Determinants: A Statistical Analysis Using Cross-sectional Survey Data.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2026Article
- Higher Pre- and Post-Monsoon Temperatures and Their Impact on Child Undernutrition in Bangladesh.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Prevalence and correlates of malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months in the rural areas of Embu County, Kenya: a cross-sectional study.The Pan African medical journal · 2026Article
- Intimate partner violence and the dual burden of anxiety and depression among women in Zambia: Spatial inequalities and implications for the sustainable development goals.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Determinants of the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure in Children Under Five Years in Bangladesh: Insights From a National Survey.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Effect of cumin water in enhancing hunger levels among school-aged children.Bioinformation · 2025Article
- Suboptimal nutritional status of school-age children in Addis Ababa: evidence from the analysis of socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Social determinants of health associated with increased prevalence of childhood malnutrition in Africa.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo examine the association between household access to water, sanitation and handwashing (WaSH) facilities and child undernutrition in Bangladesh. DESIGN, SETTING AND
participantsCross-sectional study of children less than 5 years using data collected from the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS). OUTCOME MEASURES: Stunting, wasting and underweight, defined as a Z-score <-2 SD for height-for-age, weight-for-height and weight-for-age, respectively. We applied hierarchical multiple binary logistic regression models.
resultsAmong 30 514 children 0-59 months, there was a high prevalence of child undernutrition (MICS: 28.0% stunted, 9.8% wasted, 22.6% underweight; BDHS: 30.8% stunted, 8.4% wasted, 21.7% underweight). Most children came from households lacking basic sanitation (MICS: 39.1%, BDHS: 55.3%) or handwashing facilities (MICS: 43.8%, BDHS: 62.6%). Children from households without access to WaSH facilities experienced the highest rates of undernutrition. Exposure-specific adjusted logistic regression models showed that a lack of access to improved water sources was associated with greater odds of wasting (MICS: adjusted OR (AOR) 1.36, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.85, p<0.05); basic sanitation facility with higher rates of stunting (MICS: 1.13, 1.04 to 1.23, p<0.01) and underweight (BDHS: 1.18, 1.02 to 1.37, p<0.05); and a lack of handwashing facilities with stunting (BDHS: 1.27, 1.10 to 1.48, p<0.01) and underweight (MICS: 1.10, 1.01 to 1.19, p<0.05). In fully adjusted models, no basic sanitation facility was associated with higher odds of stunting (MICS: AOR 1.12, 1.03 to 1.22, p<0.01) and a lack of handwashing facilities with higher odds of underweight (BDHS: AOR 1.30, 1.10 to 1.54, p<0.01;MICS: AOR 1.09, 1.01 to 1.19, p<0.05).
conclusionThese findings demonstrate a significant association between poor household WaSH facilities and high prevalence of child undernutrition. Improving WaSH may help reduce child undernutrition in Bangladesh.
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