Abstract
Ensuring an adequate and safe access to sanitation is essential to prevent diseases. Using provincial spatial panel data reported in the China Health Statistical Yearbook and the China Statistical Yearbook, this paper analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of improved rural sanitation in 30 Chinese provinces during the period 2006–2015, and analyzed factors that may affect improved sanitation rates in rural China. Spatial autocorrelations of improved sanitation rates were computed via Global and Local Moran’s I firstly, and then, inter-provincial disparities of improved sanitation were assessed by using the Theil index estimator; finally, the spatial panel model was employed to examine the potential socio-economic factors. Spatial autocorrelations results suggested that the provincial improved sanitation rates changes affect both the provinces themselves and the adjacent regions; Analysis of the spatial panel model revealed that factors such as GDP per capita, investment proportion ratio, centralized water supply, rural residents’ expenditure were positively associated with improved sanitation rates, and illiteracy rate of people older than 15 was negatively related with improved sanitation rates. Socio-economic factors had affected the improved sanitation rates in 30 provinces in rural China. Thus, a series of policies, socio-economic measures and personal latrine literacy education should be given to improve the status of improved sanitation rates in rural China.
Highlights
One of the world’s most urgent issues is a lack of safe water and sanitation
The spatial panel modeling analysis suggested that there was a positive association between improved sanitation rate (ISR) and GDP per capita (p-values < 0.05), investment proportion ratio (IPR) (p-values < 0.001), centralized water supply (p-values < 0.001), rural residents’ expenditure (p-values < 0.01), and a negative association between ISR and illiteracy rate of people older than 15 (p-values < 0.01). These results suggested that by controlling the spatial effect, 1 RMB increase in GDP per capita was related to a 0.00016% increase in ISR; a 1 increase in IPR was associated with a 1.617% increase in ISR; a one percentage rise in centralized water supply was related to a 0.191% increase in ISR; a 1 RMB increase in rural residents’ expenditure was associated with a 0.00091% increase in ISR
(3) Provinces with lower improved sanitation rates were more likely to have higher disparities in 2015; the highest and lowest disparities of improved sanitation were located in Qinghai and Shanghai Province, respectively. (4) socio-economic factors such as GDP per capita, IPR, centralized water supply, rural residents’ expenditure was positively affected the ISR, while illiterate rate of people older than 15 was negatively associated with the ISR
Summary
One of the world’s most urgent issues is a lack of safe water and sanitation. A total of 842,000 deaths from diarrheal diseases each year are thought to be related to water, sanitation and hygiene conditions [1]. Holistic improvements in water and sanitation play a key role in meeting the development goals, reducing child mortality, and improving health in a sustainable way [2]. Huge gaps between the poorest and richest areas, as well as between households, in the categories of water and sanitation were identified in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report 2015 [3]. The Joint Monitoring Program report (JMP) of UNICEF and WHO claimed that China had achieved the water and sanitation goals as outlined in the MDGs report by 2015 [5]. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for the “availability and sustainable
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