Open AccessLeveraging water, sanitation and hygiene for nutrition in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A conceptual framework
Author(s) -
Zavala Eleonor,
King Shan E.,
SawadogoLewis Talata,
Roberton Timothy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
maternal and child nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1740-8709
pISSN - 1740-8695
DOI - 10.1111/mcn.13202
Subject(s) - sanitation , hygiene , medicine , psychological intervention , conceptual framework , environmental health , low and middle income countries , the conceptual framework , developing country , economic growth , nursing , pathology , art , philosophy , economics , art history , epistemology , performance art
In low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs), access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is associated with nutritional status including stunting, which affects 144 million children under 5 globally. Despite the consistent epidemiological association between WASH indicators and nutritional status, the provision of WASH interventions alone has not been found to improve child growth in recent randomized control trials. We conducted a literature review to develop a new conceptual framework that highlights what is known about the WASH to nutrition pathways, the limitations of certain interventions and how future WASH could be leveraged to benefit nutritional status in populations. This new conceptual framework will provide policy makers, program implementors and researchers with a visual tool to bring into perspective multiple levels of WASH and how it may effectively influence nutrition while identifying existing gaps in implementation and research.