Milken Institute School of Public Health Poster Presentations (Marvin Center & Video)
Poster Number
29
Document Type
Poster
Status
Graduate Student - Masters
Abstract Category
Environmental and Occupational Health
Keywords
WASH, EED, Childhood mortality and morbidity,
Publication Date
Spring 2018
Abstract
Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) is a global disturbance of intestinal structure and function that has its origin in environmental factors (Owino et al. 2016). As a response to prolonged and persistent inflammation, the intestine morphology is altered. EED is an important contributor to poor child cognitive development, child stunting, poor oral vaccine response, acute infections, and childhood mortality globally (Trehan et al. 2016) in developing countries.
We hypothesized that WASH interventions could reduce the risk of EED, thereby positively impacting children’s overall health. The Navigation Guide review methodology and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment and Evaluation (GRADE) were followed to conduct this systematic review. Protocol, including exclusion and inclusion criteria, was developed prior to the review to maintain the transparency of the systematic review. PubMed and Scopus were used to search for studies. Lastly, a qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the qualifying studies.
Four studies met our inclusion criteria. Inventions were: Safe disposal of child feces; household environmental cleanliness; household fecal sludge management; and sanitation (presence of toilets). The studies assessed EED by a laboratory diagnostic. All four studies found a significant reduction of EED in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Findings of these studies suggest that WASH could be an effective tool in preventing EED. As prevention is seen to be the only alternative to overcome EED in children, these results also show the need for additional research to determine the most effective WASH intervention.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Open Access
1
Impact of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions on Environmental Enteric Dysfunction in Children in Developing Countries: A Systematic Literature Review
Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) is a global disturbance of intestinal structure and function that has its origin in environmental factors (Owino et al. 2016). As a response to prolonged and persistent inflammation, the intestine morphology is altered. EED is an important contributor to poor child cognitive development, child stunting, poor oral vaccine response, acute infections, and childhood mortality globally (Trehan et al. 2016) in developing countries.
We hypothesized that WASH interventions could reduce the risk of EED, thereby positively impacting children’s overall health. The Navigation Guide review methodology and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment and Evaluation (GRADE) were followed to conduct this systematic review. Protocol, including exclusion and inclusion criteria, was developed prior to the review to maintain the transparency of the systematic review. PubMed and Scopus were used to search for studies. Lastly, a qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the qualifying studies.
Four studies met our inclusion criteria. Inventions were: Safe disposal of child feces; household environmental cleanliness; household fecal sludge management; and sanitation (presence of toilets). The studies assessed EED by a laboratory diagnostic. All four studies found a significant reduction of EED in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Findings of these studies suggest that WASH could be an effective tool in preventing EED. As prevention is seen to be the only alternative to overcome EED in children, these results also show the need for additional research to determine the most effective WASH intervention.
Comments
Presented at GW Annual Research Days 2018.