Sanitation and nutrition

In the scramble for attention in post-2015 development agenda discussions, WaterAid and the SHARE programme are highlighting the role of WASH in combating malnutrition. “A successful global effort to tackle under-nutrition must include WASH” is the headline in their new briefing note.

Mentioned in the note, and of special interest, is the forthcoming Cochrane review on “Interventions to improve water quality and supply, sanitation and hygiene practices, and their effects on the nutritional status of children” (DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009382).

In the wake of the WaterAid/SHARE briefing note, a new World Bank report on sanitation and stunting [1] is ”getting a lot of attention from our nutrition colleagues”, says Eddy Perez of the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) in an email.

Alive & Thrive – Reducing stunting through improved feeding and handwashing

Handwashing with soap before handling a child’s food is critical to child health and nutrition. Alive & Thrive, the Institute of Public Health Nutrition, and the Department of Public Health Engineering launched a campaign in Bangladesh linking handwashing and adequate, appropriate, and safe complementary feeding. 

Materials include a summary of the handwashing initiative, an advocacy brief, TV spot, poster, job aid, and reminder sticker.

• View campaign materials