Embargo Period
8-28-2019
Degree Name
MA in Climate Change and Global Sustainability
First Advisor
Reza Ramazani
Second Advisor
Richard Walz
Abstract
Climate change is affecting social and environmental determinants of health through access to safe drinking water, safely managed sanitation systems, and access to health care services and the ability for individuals to break free from unsuitable circumstances. Ecological disturbances such as those caused by climate change can cause a shift in host vectors or a change in habitat that results in a greater likelihood of the pathogen coming in contact with humans. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and their accessibility to populations can directly impact a community’s vulnerability to diseases and limiting factors to increase economic growth. If rural communities in Ecuador gained access to safe water services their healthy life years would be improved compared to those accessing unsafe water by reducing the burden of a water-related disease. The intended outcomes of this project are to establish a willingness to pay (WTP) price that represents how much rural Ecuadorian communities are willing and able to pay for access to safe water services and to quantify how one’s healthy life years are affected. Lastly, this research speaks to the larger global correlation between WASH and climate change. As the range of climate change impact expands in intensity and frequency this directly impacts water and sanitation infrastructure, the quality and quantity of water sources and heightens favorable conditions for pathogens of communicable disease growth and reproduction increasing their rate of human infection and suitable environments. Measures that mitigate the risks of diseases include the implementation of safe and effective sanitation systems and drainage such as, construction, reforestation, expanded access to safe drinking water services and development of healthcare services with increased hygiene practices.
Disciplines
Analysis | Anthropology | Categorical Data Analysis | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Diseases | Disorders of Environmental Origin | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Environmental Public Health | Environmental Sciences | Environmental Studies | Health Communication | Infectious Disease | International Public Health | Medical Toxicology | Nature and Society Relations | Parasitic Diseases | Public Health Education and Promotion | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Social Statistics | Urban Studies and Planning | Water Resource Management
Recommended Citation
Leaska, Micalea, "Improving Access to Clean Water in Rural Ecuador: The Connection Between Willingness to Pay and Population Health" (2019). Capstone Collection. 3194.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/3194
Included in
Analysis Commons, Categorical Data Analysis Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Disorders of Environmental Origin Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Health Communication Commons, Infectious Disease Commons, International Public Health Commons, Medical Toxicology Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Parasitic Diseases Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social Statistics Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons, Water Resource Management Commons