Sanitation conditions of indigenous and nonindigenous households in Brazil according the 2000 and 2010 national censuses.

Ludimila Raupp,Geraldo Marcelo Cunha,Thatiana Regina Fávaro,Ricardo Ventura Santos

doi:10.1590/1413-812320202510.04602019

Abstract

This study compares the availability of basic sanitation infrastructure in indigenous and nonindigenous household located in urban and rural areas using data from the 2000 and 2010 Brazilian National Censuses. The analyses were based on descriptive statistics and modelling with multiple logistic regression. While there was an increase in the availability of basic sanitation in Brazilian households over the decade, indigenous households continued to have worse conditions in 2010. Sewage was the sanitation service with the lowest coverage in both censuses, and indigenous households had a lower rate of sewage services than nonindigenous households did. Logistic regression results confirmed the findings of the descriptive analyses, attesting to the fact that sanitation conditions are worse in indigenous households. In some areas, such as the urban North and Southeast and rural areas of the Central-West region, the gap in basic sanitation infrastructure between indigenous and nonindigenous households increased from 2000 to 2010. This study not only indicates the less-adequate sanitation conditions in indigenous households in Brazil but also attests to the persistence of major inequalities associated with race or color in the country.

Highlights

The potential uses of census data in the investigation of health inequalities, especially those related to ethnicity/race, has been increasingly recognized by a growing number of studies[1,2,3,4]
In the 2010 Census, the proportion of indigenous households in urban areas ranged from 0.9% (SE/S) to 4.6% (NE) of the total number of households; in rural areas, it ranged from 16.1% (NE) to 26.5% (N) (Table 1)
According to the multiple logistic regression (MLR) models, a greater number of odds ratios (ORs) was observed from 2000 to 2010 that place indigenous people in a less favorable position than nonindigenous people regarding the presence of basic sanitation services

Summary

Introduction

The potential uses of census data in the investigation of health inequalities, especially those related to ethnicity/race, has been increasingly recognized by a growing number of studies[1,2,3,4]. Despite significant improvement in health indicators in recent years, Brazil continues to exhibit profound inequalities in different dimensions. The country is a signatory of the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs), which propose 17 goals aimed at eradicating extreme poverty, reducing inequalities and promoting greater social justice, among other factors. Regarding sanitation, objective six (ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030) refers to the elimination of inequality in access to safe drinking water without discrimination and to ensuring access to adequate sanitation. These goals follow the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which should have been achieved by 201511

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion