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Does Improved Sanitation Reduce Diarrhea in Children in Rural India?

Author

Listed:
  • Santosh Kumar

    (University of Washington)

  • Sebastian Vollmer

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

Almost nine million children under five years of age die every year. Diarrhea is considered to be the second leading cause of under- five mortality in developing countries. About one out of five deaths is caused by diarrhea. In this paper, we use the newly available data set DLHS-3 to quantify the impact of access to improved sanitation on diarrheal morbidity for children under five years of age in India. Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM), we fi nd that access to improved sanitation reduces the risk of contracting diarrhea by 2.2 percentage points. There is considerable heterogeneity in the impacts of improved sanitation. We neither fi nd statistically signi cant treatment eff ects for children in low or middle socioeconomic status (SES) households nor for girls, however, boys and children in high (SES) households experienced economically signifi cant treatment effects. The magnitude of the treatment e ffect also di ffers largely by behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Santosh Kumar & Sebastian Vollmer, 2012. "Does Improved Sanitation Reduce Diarrhea in Children in Rural India?," Courant Research Centre: Poverty, Equity and Growth - Discussion Papers 107, Courant Research Centre PEG.
    • Handle: RePEc:got:gotcrc:107
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    File URL: http://www2.vwl.wiso.uni-goettingen.de/courant-papers/CRC-PEG_DP_107.pdf
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    JEL classification:

    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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