Is Exposure to Animal Feces Harmful to Child Nutrition and Health Outcomes?: A Multicountry Observational Analysis

This journal article investigates the extent of children’s exposure to animal feces and whether this exposure is associated with child anthropometry. Using diverse, large samples of data from the Alive and Thrive study conducted in rural areas of Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, animal feces were positively associated with household livestock ownership and negatively associated with maternal and child cleanliness. The results of this article contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that animal ownership may pose a significant risk to child nutrition and health outcomes in developing countries.