The health impacts of groundwater salinity among household members with different wealth indexes in coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

Individual and household level health impacts are related to their wealth, a connection that expands into impacts from drinking water quality. Using the Bangladesh Poverty and Groundwater Salinity Survey 2016, this study examines the relationship of self-reported groundwater salinity on self-reported health impacts that are common symptoms of hypertension among individuals for an association with household-level wealth quintiles. This study is unique in substantiating the health-wealth relationship for the climate-change vulnerable people of southwest coastal Bangladesh, where so far studies on the impact of drinking water salinity have focused on direct health impacts and willingness-to-pay for drinking water and healthcare. After using a factor analysis to form wealth quintiles, a statistically significant link between the summation of hypertension symptoms (the outcome variable in a Poisson regression; severe headaches, nosebleeds, severe anxiety, shortness of breath) and the bottom four quintiles was found, positively associated and progressively larger as wealth diminished. Additionally, there was a statistically significant positive association found with the health impacts on individuals and both households' self-reported salinity contamination and water tasting highly saline. Age, being female, average water consumption and distance to water sources were also significantly and positively associated with health outcomes. This study would be improved by accurate blood pressure measures and scientific testing of respondents’ water sources for salinity levels and composition. Further study is necessary to look into the health impact of drinking water salinity on vulnerable populations in different wealth strata.