The unintended effect of piped water at home on childhood overweight rate: experimental evidence from urban Morocco

Patricia I. Ritter ()
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Patricia I. Ritter: University of Connecticut

Review of Economics of the Household, 2024, vol. 22, issue 3, No 8, 1089-1126

Abstract: Abstract Obesity is a global epidemic costing billions of dollars and millions of deaths. Roughly 79% of overweight children under five live in middle-income countries, where only about half of the households have access to piped water at home. This study exploits a social experiment that encourages connection to piped water in the city of Tangiers and finds an unintended effect: a large reduction in children’s overweight rate. It also finds evidence of several potential channels: a reduction in the cost of water, an increase in available time, in particular to perform household chores, and a reduction in stress levels.

Keywords: Childhood obesity; Piped water; Developing countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H41 I12 I18 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11150-023-09676-4

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