TY - JOUR
T1 - Household water insecurity will complicate the ongoing COVID-19 response
T2 - Evidence from 29 sites in 23 low- and middle-income countries
AU - Household Water Insecurity Experiences-Research Coordination Network (HWISE-RCN)
AU - Stoler, Justin
AU - Miller, Joshua D.
AU - Brewis, Alexandra
AU - Freeman, Matthew C.
AU - Harris, Leila M.
AU - Jepson, Wendy
AU - Pearson, Amber L.
AU - Rosinger, Asher Y.
AU - Shah, Sameer H.
AU - Staddon, Chad
AU - Workman, Cassandra
AU - Wutich, Amber
AU - Young, Sera L.
AU - Adams, Ellis
AU - Ahmed, Farooq
AU - Alexander, Mallika
AU - Asiki, Gershim
AU - Balogun, Mobolanle
AU - Boivin, Michael J.
AU - Carrillo, Genny
AU - Chapman, Kelly
AU - Cole, Stroma
AU - Collins, Shalean M.
AU - Eini-Zinab, Hassan
AU - Escobar-Vargas, Jorge
AU - Ghattas, Hala
AU - Ghorbani, Monet
AU - Hagaman, Ashley
AU - Hawley, Nicola
AU - Jamaluddine, Zeina
AU - Krishnakumar, Divya
AU - Maes, Kenneth
AU - Mathad, Jyoti
AU - Maupin, Jonathan
AU - Owuor, Patrick Mbullo
AU - Melgar-Quiñonez, Hugo
AU - Morales, Milton Marin
AU - Moran, Javier
AU - Omidvar, Nasrin
AU - Rasheed, Sabrina
AU - Samayoa-Figueroa, Luisa
AU - Sánchez-Rodriguez, Ernesto C.
AU - Santoso, Marianne V.
AU - Schuster, Roseanne C.
AU - Sheikhi, Mahdieh
AU - Srivastava, Sonali
AU - Sullivan, Andrea
AU - Tesfaye, Yihenew
AU - Triviño, Nathaly
AU - Trowell, Alex
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the support of the Household Water Insecurity Experiences Research Coordination Network (HWISE RCN) funded by National Science Foundation grant number BCS-1759972 . The HWISE study was funded with the Competitive Research Grants to Develop Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) . IMMANA is funded with UK Aid from the UK government. This project was also supported by the Buffett Institute for Global Studies and the Center for Water Research at Northwestern University ; Arizona State University’s Center for Global Health at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and Decision Center for a Desert City ( National Science Foundation SES-1462086); the Office of the Vice Provost for Research of the University of Miami ; and the National Institutes of Health grant NIEHS/FIC R01ES019841 for the Kahemba Study, DRC. SLY was supported by the National Institutes of Health ( NIMH R21 MH108444 ; NIMH K01 MH098902 ). WEJ was supported by the National Science Foundation ( BCS-1560962 ) and the Texas A&M University - CONACYT Research Collaborative Grant. CS was supported by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation . Funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the report. Authors had full access to all study data and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier GmbH
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a set of public guidelines for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention measures that highlighted handwashing, physical distancing, and household cleaning. These health behaviors are severely compromised in parts of the world that lack secure water supplies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We used empirical data gathered in 2017–2018 from 8,297 households in 29 sites across 23 LMICs to address the potential implications of water insecurity for COVID-19 prevention and response. These data demonstrate how household water insecurity presents many pathways for limiting personal and environmental hygiene, impeding physical distancing and exacerbating existing social and health vulnerabilities that can lead to more severe COVID-19 outcomes. In the four weeks prior to survey implementation, 45.9% of households in our sample either were unable to wash their hands or reported borrowing water from others, which may undermine hygiene and physical distancing. Further, 70.9% of households experienced one or more water-related problems that potentially undermine COVID-19 control strategies or disease treatment, including insufficient water for bathing, laundering, or taking medication; drinking unsafe water; going to sleep thirsty; or having little-to-no drinking water. These findings help identify where water provision is most relevant to managing COVID-19 spread and outcomes.
AB - In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a set of public guidelines for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention measures that highlighted handwashing, physical distancing, and household cleaning. These health behaviors are severely compromised in parts of the world that lack secure water supplies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We used empirical data gathered in 2017–2018 from 8,297 households in 29 sites across 23 LMICs to address the potential implications of water insecurity for COVID-19 prevention and response. These data demonstrate how household water insecurity presents many pathways for limiting personal and environmental hygiene, impeding physical distancing and exacerbating existing social and health vulnerabilities that can lead to more severe COVID-19 outcomes. In the four weeks prior to survey implementation, 45.9% of households in our sample either were unable to wash their hands or reported borrowing water from others, which may undermine hygiene and physical distancing. Further, 70.9% of households experienced one or more water-related problems that potentially undermine COVID-19 control strategies or disease treatment, including insufficient water for bathing, laundering, or taking medication; drinking unsafe water; going to sleep thirsty; or having little-to-no drinking water. These findings help identify where water provision is most relevant to managing COVID-19 spread and outcomes.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113715
DO - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113715
M3 - Article
C2 - 33735823
AN - SCOPUS:85102285057
VL - 234
JO - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
JF - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
SN - 1438-4639
M1 - 113715
ER -