Spatial Patterns of Sanitation in Rural Vietnam: An Application of Small Area Estimation

Diarrhea is one of the main causes for mortality of under-five children (Boschi-Pinto et al., 2008), and this disease can be attributed to deficient hygiene, sanitation and water supply (Bartram and Cairncross, 2010). Information on spatial patterns of sanitation is very important for sanitation support programs. In this study, we estimate and construct spatial maps of the proportion of households using sanitary latrines in rural Vietnam using a small area estimation method. It shows that there is a great spatial variation in the sanitary latrine rate. Within the same rural districts, the proportion of households using sanitary latrines varies largely across communes.