Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV
Objectives: Despite threefold increase in investment (from Rs. 28,500 million to Rs. 90,000 million during 2014–17) in the allocation of funds for the Clean India movement, creating awareness and various social movements, more than half of the rural population (52.1%) of the country still defecates...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2019-04-01
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| Series: | SSM: Population Health |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827318301034 |
| _version_ | 1818258397825335296 |
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| author | Laxmi Kant Dwivedi Kajori Banerjee Nidhi Jain Mukesh Ranjan Priyanka Dixit |
| author_facet | Laxmi Kant Dwivedi Kajori Banerjee Nidhi Jain Mukesh Ranjan Priyanka Dixit |
| author_sort | Laxmi Kant Dwivedi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: Despite threefold increase in investment (from Rs. 28,500 million to Rs. 90,000 million during 2014–17) in the allocation of funds for the Clean India movement, creating awareness and various social movements, more than half of the rural population (52.1%) of the country still defecates in the open. This study aims to examine the prevalence of improved sanitation facilities and safe stool disposal in India and its states. It also aims to further establish inter-linkages between safe stool disposal and child health. Study design: The present study uses data from the fourth round of the recently conducted cross-sectional National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015–16). Methods: Two proxy indicators used to assess the effect on child health are: stunting and mortality of children under the age of five years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the impact of improved sanitation facilities and safe stool disposal on child health measured by height-for-age as a dichotomous variable. Multivariate discrete-time logistic model was used to examine the impact of improved sanitation facilities and safe stool disposal on under-five child deaths. Results: The results reveal that unsafe disposal of stools are one of the main contributing factors responsible for stunting and under-five mortality among children. The prevalence was clearly seen to be higher in households where open defecation and unsafe stool disposal were practised. Conclusions: The central behavioural change to be brought about among the people is to improve the cleanliness levels of the neighbourhood and help children spend their childhood free from the misery of malnourishment or in the worst case, death. It is not an impossible task for a country that houses the cleanest village in Asia, Mawlynnong in the Northeast state of Meghalaya, India. If one state could do it, it could be replicated in other states too. Keywords: Stunting, Under-Five Mortality, Safe Stool Disposal, India, National Family Health Survey-4, Multivariate Discrete-Time Logistic Model |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:58:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ee5bf80fa4d47568e8ae8bf8d095186 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-8273 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:58:54Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Population Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ee5bf80fa4d47568e8ae8bf8d0951862022-12-22T00:16:39ZengElsevierSSM: Population Health2352-82732019-04-017Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IVLaxmi Kant Dwivedi0Kajori Banerjee1Nidhi Jain2Mukesh Ranjan3Priyanka Dixit4International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, IndiaInternational Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, IndiaInternational Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, IndiaInternational Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, IndiaSchool of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India; Corresponding author.Objectives: Despite threefold increase in investment (from Rs. 28,500 million to Rs. 90,000 million during 2014–17) in the allocation of funds for the Clean India movement, creating awareness and various social movements, more than half of the rural population (52.1%) of the country still defecates in the open. This study aims to examine the prevalence of improved sanitation facilities and safe stool disposal in India and its states. It also aims to further establish inter-linkages between safe stool disposal and child health. Study design: The present study uses data from the fourth round of the recently conducted cross-sectional National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015–16). Methods: Two proxy indicators used to assess the effect on child health are: stunting and mortality of children under the age of five years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the impact of improved sanitation facilities and safe stool disposal on child health measured by height-for-age as a dichotomous variable. Multivariate discrete-time logistic model was used to examine the impact of improved sanitation facilities and safe stool disposal on under-five child deaths. Results: The results reveal that unsafe disposal of stools are one of the main contributing factors responsible for stunting and under-five mortality among children. The prevalence was clearly seen to be higher in households where open defecation and unsafe stool disposal were practised. Conclusions: The central behavioural change to be brought about among the people is to improve the cleanliness levels of the neighbourhood and help children spend their childhood free from the misery of malnourishment or in the worst case, death. It is not an impossible task for a country that houses the cleanest village in Asia, Mawlynnong in the Northeast state of Meghalaya, India. If one state could do it, it could be replicated in other states too. Keywords: Stunting, Under-Five Mortality, Safe Stool Disposal, India, National Family Health Survey-4, Multivariate Discrete-Time Logistic Modelhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827318301034 |
| spellingShingle | Laxmi Kant Dwivedi Kajori Banerjee Nidhi Jain Mukesh Ranjan Priyanka Dixit Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV SSM: Population Health |
| title | Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV |
| title_full | Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV |
| title_fullStr | Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV |
| title_full_unstemmed | Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV |
| title_short | Child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in India: Evidence from Recent Round of National Family Health Survey-IV |
| title_sort | child health and unhealthy sanitary practices in india evidence from recent round of national family health survey iv |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827318301034 |
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