Access to Piped Water and Childhood Stunting in India

Background: There is a demonstrated association between poverty, malnutrition, poor health and childhood stunting which negatively impacts cognitive, motor, and social development. The United Nations recognizes the central role of sustainable access to water for alleviating poverty. Access to a piped water supply has increased only 2% since 1990 in urban areas in the developing world. Less than 50% of Indian households have access to a piped water supply. Building on this literature, this study explores the relationship between infant health and access to a piped water source. The primary research question is “Is there a relationship between access to piped water and childhood stunting?” Methods: Data were extracted from the Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) of India in 2005-2006, which included households with children less than five years of age.  We analyzed the relationship between access to piped water and childhood stunting defined as two standard deviations below the WHO median child growth in 39,599 Indian households. Results: Chi-square analysis revealed that 24.6% of children in households with access to piped water supply suffered stunting compared to 75.4% of children in households without access to piped water, a statistically significant difference ( x² (1, N=35,599)=174.364, p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis with education and urban location as covariates childhood stunting was associated with access to piped water supply (p<0.001).  Conclusion: There is an association between access to piped water supply and childhood stunting in India.