Table 4.
Linear regression coefficient for association between nutrition and WASH variables and linear growth
| N | Unadjusted effect size (pooled) | N | Adjusted effect size (pooled) | N | Adjusted effect size (1–6 months) |
N | Adjusted effect size (6–12 months) |
N | Adjusted effect size (12–24 months) |
|
| Child-level indicators | ||||||||||
| Currently breastfed* | 3908 | 0.40 (0.30, 0.51) | 3709 | −0.16 (−0.27, -0.05) | 1055 | 0.07 (−0.39, 0.54) | 1110 | −0.62 (−1.01, -0.23) | 1564 | −0.11 (−0.23, 0.00) |
| Minimum dietary diversity met*, † | 3973 | 0.01 (−0.08, 0.10) | 2421 | 0.05 (−0.03, 0.14) | – | n/a | 1112 | −0.01 (−0.15, 0.13) | 1598 | 0.06 (−0.03, 0.16) |
| Minimum meal frequency met*, † | 3984 | 0.05 (−0.07, 0.17) | 2421 | −0.01 (−0.13, 0.10) | – | n/a | 1112 | −0.02 (−0.20, 0.16) | 1068 | 0.01 (−0.12, 0.14) |
| Household−level indicators | ||||||||||
| Improved drinking water source*, †† | 3975 | 0.05 (−0.06, 0.16) | 3767 | 0.04 (−0.06, 0.13) | 1063 | −0.09 (−0.23, 0.05) | 1110 | 0.04 (−0.16, 0.24) | 1594 | 0.13 (−0.01, 0.28) |
| Presence of water and soap at handwashing* | 3978 | 0.11 (0.03, 0.19) | 3771 | 0.10 (0.03, 0.16) | 1064 | 0.10 (−0.02, 0.22) | 1110 | 0.11 (−0.02, 0.25) | 1597 | 0.06 (−0.04, 0.16) |
| Proper disposal of child stool*, ¶ | 2994 | −0.15 (−0.27,–0.02) | 2843 | 0.05 (−0.07, 0.16) | 622 | −0.08 (−0.25, 0.10) | 885 | 0.13 (−0.07, 0.33) | 1336 | 0.10 (−0.13, 0.32) |
| Sanitation facility* | 3977 | 3769 | 1065 | n/a | 1112 | n/a | 1592 | n/a | ||
| Improved‡ | – | 0.16 (0.07, 0.25) | – | 0.05 (−0.03, 0.14) | – | 0.09 (−0.05, 0.24) | – | 0.09 (−0.09, 0.27) | – | 0.04 (−0.07, 0.16) |
| Shared | – | 0.08 (−0.03, 0.20) | – | −0.01 (−0.13, 0.10) | – | 0.01 (−0.17, 0.18) | – | −0.06 (−0.25, 0.14) | – | 0.04 (−0.13, 0.20) |
| None (open defecation) | – | ref | – | ref | – | ref | – | ref | – | ref |
| Community−level indicators | ||||||||||
| Improved drinking water source (village level)**, †† | 3984 | −0.13 (−0.26, 0.00) | 3792 | −0.13 (−0.26, 0.00) | 1068 | −0.28 (−0.51, −0.05) | 1120 | −0.24 (−0.48, 0.00) | 1604 | −0.07 (−0.25, 0.11) |
| Proper disposal of child stool (village level)¶, ** | 3970 | 0.04 (−0.19, 0.27) | 3778 | −0.01 (−0.23, 0.20) | 1063 | −0.18 (−0.53, 0.17) | 1116 | −0.41 (−0.94, 0.13) | 1599 | 0.23 (−0.10, 0.55) |
| Improved sanitation facility (village level)‡, ** | 3984 | 0.10 (−0.02, 0.23) | 3792 | 0.07 (−0.06, 0.19) | 1068 | 0.08 (−0.14, 0.31) | 1120 | 0.12 (−0.11, 0.36) | 1604 | 0.08 (−0.10, 0.26) |
| Shared sanitation facility (village level)** | 3984 | −0.11 (−0.34, 0.12) | 3792 | −0.19 (−0.42,0.03) | 1068 | −0.47 (−0.90, −0.05) | 1120 | −0.24 (−0.64, 0.16) | 1604 | 0.04 (−0.27, 0.34) |
| Open defecation (village level)** | 3984 | −0.08 (−0.21, 0.05) | 3792 | −0.03 (−0.16,0.10) | 1068 | −0.02 (−0.25, 0.22) | 1120 | 0.02 (−0.22, 0.26) | 1604 | −0.12 (−0.30, 0.07) |
*Adjusted for child gender, child age, child illness, maternal age, maternal education, household size and household wealth index quintile; clustered by village.
†Only children >6 months.
‡Improved sanitation facilities include: flush/pour flush toilet to a piped sewer system, septic tank or pit latrine, a ventilated improved pit latrine, a pit latrine with slab and a composting toilet.
¶Proper disposal of children faeces consist of putting or rinsing stool into a sanitation facility or burying it; inadequate disposal of children faeces includes putting or rinsing stool into a drain or ditch, throwing it into garbage or leaving it in the open.
**Adjusted for village-level covariates: % male, mean child age, % with illness, % breast fed and mean household wealth index quintile.
††Improved sources of drinking water include: piped water into dwelling/yard/plot, public tap or standpipe, tubewell or borehole, protected dug well, protected spring, bottled water and rainwater.