Access to drinking water and health of populations in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Water is at the center of the plant and animal life, the foundation upon which the health of human settlement and development of civilizations rely on. In tropical regions, 80% of diseases are transmitted either by germs in the water, or by vectors staying in it. In Sub-Saharan Africa, statistics show particularly high levels of unmet needs of populations in access to drinking water in a context of socioeconomic development. For this purpose, this study aims to determine the influence of access to drinking water on the health of populations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from Cameroon, Senegal and Chad, it is clear from the descriptive analysis that 60% (Cameroon), and 59% (Chad) of the cases of childhood diarrhea in these two countries are due to the consumption of dirty water. In terms of explanatory analysis, we note that when a household in Cameroon, Senegal or Chad does not have access to drinking water, children under 5 years old residing there are respectively 1.29, 1.27 and 1.03 times more likely to have diarrhea than those residing in households with easy access to drinking water. In view of these results, it is recommended to increase access to drinking water in particular by reducing disparities between the rich and poor people.

A conceptual framework for gender and climate mainstreaming to mitigate water inaccessibility in ruralsub‐SaharanAfrica

“…It has been well established that poor access to water exposes rural populations to water‐related diseases including cholera, malaria, and dengue (Arku et al, 2015; Asoba et al, 2019; Cronk et al, 2021; Denton, 2019; Deshpande et al, 2020; Marcantonio, 2009; Mazvimavi & Mmopelwa, 2006; Ntouda et al, 2013; Nyong & Kanaroglou, 2013; Onabolu et al, 2011; Owolabi, 2007; Schlamovitz & Becker, 2021; Sevilimedu et al, 2018; Stevenson et al, 2012; Yillia et al, 2021). Moreover, emerging evidence demonstrates an association between water fetching and adverse musculoskeletal and mental health impacts and women's safety in SSA.…”

Beyond access to basic services: perspectives on social health determinants of Mozambique

“…Several studies point to socioeconomic gradients in health, but their scope has been in selected populationsmainly, children (Adewuyi et al, 2017;Hangoma et al, 2017;Macassa et al, 2003;Zere & McIntyre, 2003) or HIV-positive groups (Pons-Duran et al, 2016;Sia et al, 2016). Other studies link health outcomes to specific factors, such as housing conditions, access to basic services, or access to a safe water source (Batiro et al, 2017;Dos Santos et al, 2015;Herrin et al, 2013;Ntouda et al, 2013). However, with the exception of Ataguba et al (2015) for South Africa, few studies have taken a comprehensive view of the social determinants of health outcomes.…”

Beyond access to basic services: Perspectives on the social determinants of health in Mozambique

“…Several studies point to socio-economic gradients in health, but their scope has been in selected populations-mainly, children (Macassa et al 2003;Zere and McIntyre 2003;Adewuyi et al 2017;Hangoma et al 2017) or HIV-positive groups (Pons-Duran et al 2016;Sia et al 2016). Other studies link health outcomes to specific factors such as housing conditions, access to basic services, or access to a safe water source (Herrin et al 2013;Ntouda et al 2013;Dos Santos et al 2015;Batiro et al 2017). However, with the exception of Ataguba et al (2015) for South Africa, no studies take a comprehensive view of SDH outcomes.…”