WaSH critical to child nutrition

Children are at their most vulnerable stages of mental and physical development during the 1,000 day window of opportunity — the time from conception to the child’s second birthday. Good water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) practices during this critical time can reduce the number of infections and support good appetites.

Even if families feed their children the right food in the right quantities, much of the lifelong benefits of good nutrition are undermined when those children become repeatedly sick from infections. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 50% of malnutrition is associated with repeated diarrhoea or intestinal worm infections as a result of unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene. Children who are sick have problems digesting the food they eat, and thus the nutrients from the food that are essential for their physical and mental development are not fully absorbed by the body.

According to WHO, approximately a third of all child deaths are attributable to nutrition-related factors, such as low birth weight, stunting (low height for age) and severe wasting, all of which are closely linked to a lack of access to water and particularly sanitation and hygiene.

Caregivers and children need to wash their hands properly with soap and water before food preparations and feeding, and after defecation. In addition, there must be an improvement in facilities for and usage of safe drinking water, and the proper use of sanitary latrines must be promoted. Proper WaSH practices can reduce the spread of deadly diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea, combat other illnesses and infections, and prevent decreased appetite, which is a barrier to ensuring optimal feeding practices.

The main barriers to best WaSH practices must be addressed. There is a lack of convenience, as many households have no access to safe water or soap. According to Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011, only 10% of households in Bangladesh use any form of water treatment prior to drinking, such as boiling or filtering. Almost half (47%) of the country’s households use non-improved toilet facilities. In addition, only 17% of rural households and 46% of urban households have soap and water.

The lack of proper WaSH practices also has to do with misconceptions about their importance. There is a lack of social pressure because hand washing and maintaining hygienic latrines is not common in communities due to a significant knowledge gap. Behaviour change is required in order to make best WaSH practices a priority in society.

Mehereen Aziz writes on behalf of the Civil Society Alliance for Scaling Up Nutrition, an official affiliate of the UN-led global Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.