Examining the linkage between open defecation and child malnutrition in India

Abstract

Nutritional status of children is a key to track the development progress and a precursor to human well-being. It is not possible to realize sustainable development in the absence of nutritional well-being. One of the factors affecting nutritional status in developing countries is open defecation. India accounts for 90 percent of open defecation cases in South-Asia annually. Open defecation enables the absorption of fecal pathogens that leads to intestinal worms, diarrhoea, and environmental enteric malfunction. This leads to loss of appetite, lessening the body's immunity, disturbing the absorption of nutrients, and eventually leading to malnutrition. As there is not much scholarship on the relation between open defecation and malnutrition in the context of India, this study examines the linkages between open defecation and malnutrition among the under-five children in India. The examination is performed using data from the National Family Health Survey 2015–16, and assessing the nutritional status of children through stunting and underweight. The analysis clearly shows higher chances of being stunted and underweight with an increase in the prevalence of open defecation. Multivariate findings reveal that the chances of stunting and underweight are 13% and 28%, respectively, more among the population defecating in the open compared to those defecating in an improved toilet facility. Awareness and state’s financial help in improving sanitation facilities are keys to reducing the level of open defecation in India. A multi-sector approach should be adopted to overcome the challenges of malnutrition resulting through open defecation.