Water, Sanitation, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Mali: A Study of Early Neonatal Mortality and Low Birth Weight

Abstract: This thesis investigates the link between the water and sanitation environment mothers are exposed to during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Mali, specifically early neonatal mortality and low birth weight. The motivation and contribution for this analysis is that little research has been done on this topic, specifically in the Sub-Saharan African region and with the combination of those two outcome variables. The study conducts a literature review and implements a quantitative analysis of microdata from the DHS program conducted in 2018 in Mali. The statistical analysis consists of four different logistic regression models for each outcome variable individually. The findings highlight that pregnant women and their children are particularly vulnerable to inadequate water and sanitation, with a higher risk of infection, more caloric expenditure, and stress, which in turn increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The results of the thesis underline the importance and urgency of improving the water and sanitation environment in Mali in order to decrease related health risks for everyone but especially women and their offspring. This not only has the potential to improve early-life determinants but also adult health, hence increasing the overall quality of the Malian people’s life-course.