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Clean water, sanitation and under-five children diarrhea incidence: Empirical evidence from the South Africa’s General Household Survey

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Abstract

Sufficient supply of potable water, hygiene facilities, and sanitation are major factors enhancing healthy living. Using the dataset from the 2018 South Africa General Household Survey, this study employed the logistic regression model to examine the effects of accessibility to potable water and sanitation on the incidence of diarrhea among under-five children. The findings from the research reveal that the majority of children have access to safe drinking water, although a substantial percentage (32%) of the households had to pay for access. The results of the logistic regression model show that households with access to clean water, to improved toilet facilities, and to water within their residence are less likely to record incidence of diarrhea among under-five children. Moreso, the likelihood of reporting diarrhea among the children decreases with the age of children and the age of household heads. Therefore, to contribute to the designing policies targeted at reducing the incidence of diarrhea among children, this study emphasized that the availability and accessibility of clean water, water-storage facilities, and improved fecal discharge facilities among the South African households are key.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Statistics South Africa. However, data are available from the authors upon reasonable request and with the permission from the Statistics South Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Security and Safety Niche Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho, North West Province, 2745, South Africa

    Abiodun Olusola Omotayo

  2. Economics Research Branch, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), 18a Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5PX, UK

    Kehinde Oluseyi Olagunju

  3. Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, P.M.B. 10, Igboora, Oyo State, Nigeria

    Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso & Adebola Saidat Daud

  4. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Oro-Ago Crescent Garki II, Abuja, 901101, Nigeria

    Adebayo Isaiah Ogunniyi

  5. Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Federal University of Agriculture, (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, Nigeria

    Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin

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  1. Abiodun Olusola Omotayo
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  2. Kehinde Oluseyi Olagunju
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  3. Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso
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  4. Adebayo Isaiah Ogunniyi
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  6. Adebola Saidat Daud
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Contributions

Conceptualization: AOO, KOO, and ABO; methodology: AOO, ABO, and ASD; writing—original draft preparation: AOO, ABO, ASD, and KOO; writing—review and editing, AOO, ABO, ASD, AIO, OAO, and KOO. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Abiodun Olusola Omotayo.

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Omotayo, A.O., Olagunju, K.O., Omotoso, A.B. et al. Clean water, sanitation and under-five children diarrhea incidence: Empirical evidence from the South Africa’s General Household Survey. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 63150–63162 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15182-w

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