Impact on childhood mortality of interventions to improve drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to households: Systematic review and meta-analysis
PLOS Medicine · 4 authors, 4 centres
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This systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 studies found that water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions in low- and middle-income countries were associated with a 17% reduction in the odds of all-cause childhood mortality and a 45% reduction in the odds of diarrhoea mortality.
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This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled data from 24 randomized and 11 nonrandomized studies to assess the impact of household WASH interventions on childhood mortality in low- and middle-income countries. The primary analysis, including 48 treatment arms, found WASH interventions were associated with a significant 17% reduction in the odds of all-cause mortality (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.92) and a significant 45% reduction in diarrhoea mortality (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.84). The study noted that about half of the included studies had a moderate risk of bias, and no studies had a low risk of bias. The authors conclude the findings support theories of infectious disease transmission and that evidence synthesis can generate insights beyond individual trials for policy.
