WASH practices and its association with nutritional status of adolescent girls in poverty pockets of eastern India

Abstract

Background Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices may affect the growth and nutritional status among adolescents. Therefore, this paper assesses WASH practices and its association with nutritional status among adolescent girls. Methods As a part of an intervention programme, this study is based on baseline cross-sectional data. It was conducted between May 2016–April 2017 in three Indian states (Bihar, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh). From a sample of 6352 adolescent girls, information on WASH practices, accessibility to health services and anthropometric measurements (height, weight and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC)) was collected. Descriptive statistics were used to examine WASH practices, and nutritional status among adolescent girls. Determinants of open defecation and menstrual hygiene were assessed using logistic regression. Association between WASH and nutritional status of adolescent girls was determined using linear regression. Results Findings showed 82% of the adolescent girls were practicing open defecation and 76% were not using sanitary napkins. Significant predictors of open defecation and non use of sanitary napkin during menstruation were non Hindu households, households with poorer wealth, non availability of water within household premise, non visit to Anganwadi Centre, and non attendance in Kishori group meetings. One-third of adolescent girls were stunted, 17% were thin and 20% had MUAC < 19 cm. Poor WASH practices like water facility outside the household premise, unimproved sanitation facility, non use of soap after defecation had significant association with poor nutritional status of adolescent girls. Conclusions Concerted convergent actions focusing on the provision of clean water within the household premise, measures to stop open defecation, promotion of hand washing, accessibility of sanitary napkins, poverty alleviation and behavior change are needed. Health, nutrition and livelihood programmes must be interspersed, and adolescents must be encouraged to take part in these programmes.

Exploration of barriers to the uptake of nutritional services among adolescent girls from the rural communities of Tigrai Region, Northern Ethiopia: A qualitative study

“…Most of the participants in our study claimed that stunting and anemia are common among pregnant women and adolescent girls, though they projected different notions as causes for these burdens of nutritional problems in the community. Nevertheless, it may have a relationship to the vicious cycle of inadequate and unsafe water and food, as indicated by a crosssectional study in India which depicted that Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices may affect the growth and nutritional status among adolescents [42]. Besides, our study indicates that access to water for gardening is also almost absent that hindered them from producing and consuming nutritious foods like vegetables.…”

Exploration of barriers to the uptake of nutritional services among adolescent girls from the rural communities of Tigrai Region, Northern Ethiopia: A qualitative study

“…Most of the participants in our study claimed that stunting and anemia are common among pregnant women and adolescent girls, though they projected different notions as causes for these burdens of nutritional problems in the community. Nevertheless, it may have a relationship to the vicious cycle of inadequate and unsafe water and food, as indicated by a cross-sectional study in India which depicted that Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices may affect the growth and nutritional status among adolescents [42]. Besides, our study indicates that access to water for gardening is also almost absent that hindered them from producing and consuming nutritious foods like vegetables.…”

Relationship between Environment, Smoking Behavior, Education, Poverty, and Prevalence of Stunted Toddler in Indonesia: An Ecological Analysis

“…Lack of sanitation facilities is also informed as a determinant of the stunted toddler (Mahmood et al, 2020). Not only applies to toddlers, but improper sanitation is also reported to be one of the factors affecting the nutritional status of adolescent girls in Eastern India (Chattopadhyay et al, 2019).…”