Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1420077
This article is part of the Research Topic Public Health in Africa: Role of Nutrition and Environment View all 8 articles

Rural-Urban Disparities in Basic Sanitation Access Among Households: A multivariable decomposition analysis of Ethiopian demographic and health survey 2019

Provisionally accepted
Awoke Keleb Awoke Keleb 1*Chala Daba Chala Daba 2Abiyu Tareke Abiyu Tareke 3Abel Endawkie Abel Endawkie 4Lakew Asmare Lakew Asmare 4Fekade D. Bayou Fekade D. Bayou 4Eyob T. Abeje Eyob T. Abeje 4Aznamariam Ayres Aznamariam Ayres 4Anissa Mohammed Anissa Mohammed 4Natnael Kebede Natnael Kebede 5Asnakew M. Mekonen Asnakew M. Mekonen 6Endalkachew mesfin Endalkachew mesfin 6Shimels D. Kebede Shimels D. Kebede 7Ermias Bekele Ermias Bekele 7Mastewal Arefaynie Mastewal Arefaynie 8Yawkal Tsega Yawkal Tsega 6
  • 1 Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Amhara, Ethiopia
  • 2 Department of Envieronmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
  • 3 Amref health in Africa, COVID-219 vaccine/EPI technical assistant at West Gondar zonal health department,,, Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
  • 4 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
  • 5 Department of Health Promotion, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University,, Dessie, Ethiopia
  • 6 Department of Health System and Management, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
  • 7 Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia
  • 8 Department of Reproductive and Family Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Rural-urban disparities in basic sanitation access pose critical challenges to public health and human development. Understanding the determinants of this gap is vital for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improving environmental and public health through evidence-driven interventions.Objective: This study aims to analyze and understand the disparities in access to basic sanitation services between rural and urban households in Ethiopia.Method: This study used data from Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2019 by analyzing 8,663 weighted households collected through stratified sampling techniques. The primary outcome was basic sanitation access, defined as access to flush or pour flush systems, septic tanks, pit latrines, or composting toilets. A multivariable decomposition analysis was conducted to identify factors contributing to rural-urban disparities with statistically significant variables determined at p<0.05 and 95% confidence interval.residence in pastoralist (10.10% widening) or agrarian regions (7.03% widening), and accessing water sources more than 30 minutes away (7.91% widening).Significant disparities exist in basic sanitation access between rural and urban households in Ethiopia. Factors such as age of household head, education level, family size, region of residence, and water source accessibility play crucial roles in these disparities. Addressing these factors is essential for improving sanitation access and achieving sustainable development goals.

    Keywords: Basic sanitation service, decomposition, EDHS, Ethiopia, Improved, Rural-urban

    Received: 19 Apr 2024; Accepted: 26 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Keleb, Daba, Tareke, Endawkie, Asmare, Bayou, Abeje, Ayres, Mohammed, Kebede, Mekonen, mesfin, Kebede, Bekele, Arefaynie and Tsega. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Awoke Keleb, Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Amhara, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.