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

BMC Women's Health

Manisha Ruikar¹  Neeraj Agarwal¹  Vikas Bhatia¹  C. M. Singh¹  Vikash Nath²  Rajkumar Gope²  Neha Sareen³  Aparajita Chattopadhyay⁴  Nikita Surani⁴  Sayeed Unisa⁴  Varsha P. Nagargoje⁴  Abhishek Saraswat⁴  Vani Sethi⁵  Abner Daniel⁵  Arjan De Wagt⁵  H. P. S. Sachdev⁶  Rabi N. Parhi⁷  Shivani Dar⁷  Sourav Bhattacharjee⁸ 

[1] All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS);Ekjut;Independent Consultant;International Institute for Population Sciences;Nutrition Section, UNICEF India Country Office;Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research;UNICEF India, Field Office Bihar;UNICEF India, Field Office Odisha;

关键词: Adolescent nutrition;    Menstrual hygiene;    Open defecation;    WASH;    Stunting;    BMI;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12905-019-0787-1

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

Unknown