Children residing in poor regions but with clean water, hygiene and sanitation programs tend to be slightly taller than those who grow up in similar areas but without such programs, according to a review released Friday.
Children ages four and younger who washed their hands, drank clean water, or use well-maintained toilets - or some combination of the three were on average taller by 0.2 inches than those who don't, Reuters reported.
However, the researchers of the study reported that this trend is not consistent among all 14 studies included in their review.
"The absolute difference in height is not large, but stunting is associated with many negative health and economic outcomes," Dr. Alan Bowen, a medical epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Reuters in an email.
"Therefore increasing the median height of the population even slightly could have benefits," Bowen added.
The 14 studies were originally designed to test the effectiveness of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions on the prevention of diarrhea and diseases among children in low-income countries.
In 2011, the United States and the United Kingdom allocated a combined total of $626 million in aid for such interventions.
