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Table 1 Exposure variable description and survey question

From: Association between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and child undernutrition in Ethiopia: a hierarchical approach

WASH factors

Type of variable & category

Survey question

Description

Toilet facility

Categorical data, categorised as “Improved”, “Unimproved” or “Open defecation”

What kind of toilet facility do members of your household

usually use?

(verify by observation)

Based on the WHO/UNICEF JMP definition, toilet facilities would be considered improved if they were any of the following types: flush/pour flush toilets to piped sewer systems, septic tanks, and pit latrines; ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines; pit latrines with slabs; and composting toilets. Unimproved toilet facilities included: flush or pour-flush to elsewhere; pit latrine without a slab or open pit; bucket; hanging toilet og latrine. Other facilities, including households with no facility or use of bush/field, were considered open defecation.

Source of drinking water

Categorical data, categorised as “Improved”, or “Unimproved”

What is the main source of drinking water for members of your household?

Improved drinking water sources include piped water, public taps, standpipes, tube wells, boreholes, protected dug wells and springs, and rainwater. Other sources of drinking water are regarded as unimproved.

Child stool disposal

Binary data, categorised as “Safe” or “Unsafe”

The last time (NAME OF YOUNGEST CHILD living with the respondent) passed stool, what

was done to dispose of the stool?

A child’s stool was considered to be disposed of “safely” when the child used a latrine/ toilet or child’s stool was put/rinsed into a toilet/latrine, whereas other methods were considered “unsafe”.

Household flooring

Binary data, categorised as “Improved” or “Unimproved”

Observe the main material of the floor of the dwelling.

Record observation

Household floors are considered to be unimproved if it is natural floor (earth/sand, dung), rudimentary floor (wood planks, palm/bamboo), and finished floor (parquet or polished wood, vinyl or asphalt strips/plastic tile, ceramic tiles, cement, carpet) were considered as improved.

Time to obtain drinking water (round trip)

Categorical data, categorised as “On-premises”, “≤ 30 min round-trip fetching times”, “31–60 min round-trip fetching times”, and “ over 60 min round-trip fetching times”

How long does it take to go there, get water, and come

back?

Time to obtain drinking water (round trip) was categorised as water on premises; up to 30 min, 31–60 min or over 60 min.