The psychology, behavior, physical size and health of children make them more vulnerable to various environmental hazards as compared to adults. Their exposure to these conditions has a bigger impact on their health condition because they are still at the early stages of development. Poor sanitation in the environment where they are brought up has a significant effect on their health. At young ages, childhood behaviors such as crawling and picking up objects makes them susceptible to a variety of toxic chemicals, injuries and infections. Lack of proper sanitation in schools is also a major contributor to such risks because children are exposed to and highly likely to contract infectious diseases.
Poor sanitation may also act as a major contributor to unsafe drinking water which causes a range of diseases that may be life-threatening to children (Finkelman, 2016). Some of the most deadly ones include diarrhea, typhoid and cholera, which majorly arise as a result of environmental factors. Millions of deaths are caused by such infections and the children who fall under the age of 8 are most vulnerable to such. It is imperative to note that these deaths primarily result from dehydration, which often leaves children underweight, drained of energy and physically stunted. Poor sanitation conditions at personal, household, school, and community levels are therefore key environmental risks to consider when evaluating children health.
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Infectious vector borne diseases also contribute to the international health problem that affects children, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. According to Alberini et al. (2011) , malaria causes 25% of the total number of deaths among children in the aforementioned regions. The mortality rates are higher for those who live in remote rural areas because they have poor access to health services. Such diseases are also considered to be significant contributors to high infant mortality rates because pregnant women are more susceptible to these environmental risks.
References
Finkelman, A. (2016). Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, and Illness: A Community Perspective. Professional Nursing Concepts (3 rd ed.). [VitalSource Bookshelf Online].
Publishing, O. E. C. D., Organisation, . E. C.-D., Alberini, A., & Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2011). Valuation of Environment-Related Health Risks for Children . Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
