ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE
TABLE 1
List of Independent Variables Used
Variable Abbreviation
Description
Unit of Measure
Expected Sign
Citation
Socioeconomic variables CAG
Age of child
Year
+ or -
Alam, 2009; Islam et al., 2019
CSX PED
Sex of child
1 = male, 0 = female
+ or -
Salifu & Peprah, 2021
Education level of parent
Number of years of schooling
-
Ahsan et al., 2021; Salifu & Peprah, 2021
SLY
Number of years in slum Yearly income of parent
Year
+
Nabi et al., 2025 Ahsan et al., 2021 Ahsan et al., 2021
PYI
Bangladeshi taka (BDT)
+ or - + or -
HFM HNP
Household family members Household participation in nongovernmental organization (NGO) activities
Number
1 = household respondent participated in any hygiene-related activities undertaken by an NGO; 0 = other 1 = household owns a radio and television; 0 = other
-
Author’s own compilation, 2024
RNT
Owns a radio or TV
-
Nobi, 2023
Engineering variables FWA
Fresh water availability for household 1 = water from all sources is available 24 hr/day; 0 = other
-
Alam, 2009
PLF
Pit latrine facility
1 = narrow-necked collection container; 0 = other
-
Alam, 2009
Behavioral variables NNC
Narrow-necked collection container
1 = yes; 0 = other
- -
Alam, 2009 Alam, 2009; Nobi, 2023
HWB
Handwashing behavior
1 = children wash hands more than 3 times; 0 = other
CCW
Clean clothes wearing
1 = wear clean clothes; 0 = other
-
Salifu & Peprah, 2021
We focused on Poisson regression for count data because the WDN is the most important factor for WTP estimation and behavioral aspects of households. Ahsan et al. (2021) established a connection with hou- sehold WTP to ensure safe drinking water for a coastal area. We used conditional logistic regression (conditional logit, CL). CL was used to estimate the discrete choices or field data collected with grouped structures, where general or standard regression models failed to trace the real scenario. But, in this research article, data were collected through a ques- tionnaire survey on a household basis, where a general logit model was used. Ahsan et al. (2021) focused on a general logit regression model for econometric analy- sis. Another study by Alam (2009) on health costs of childhood diarrhea in the Dhaka slum areas of Bangladesh was conducted and included engineering, behavioral, and socio-
economic variables. Engineering variables included availability of a 24-hr pit latrine facility, using a wide container for fresh drink- ing water collection, handwashing behavior more than 3 times in a day, wearing clean clothes, and keeping the surroundings clean for all. Table 1 lists the independent variables that influence the dependent variable.
with findings from Sajauddin et al. (2017), who conducted a study in the city of Khulna and noted that the water and sanitation facili- ties provided to poor areas there are depen- dent on different factors. People who live in the slums of Khulna are not formally edu- cated. Their poor socioeconomic profile rep- resents their situation clearly. As such, most of the people in these areas are in low-profile occupations and earn low amounts of money. Frequency of Waterborne Diseases Occurrence Figure 2 presents the frequency and duration of waterborne disease episodes among chil- dren living in the study areas of Khulna during our 6-month study period. Our results indicate that 42% of children had a waterborne illness with symptoms that lasted 2–4 days, with an additional 25% of children having 5–7 days of symptoms. In addition, 9% of children expe-
Results and Discussion
Head of Household Occupation The occupational structure of a community provides insights into residents’ sources of income and reflects their socioeconomic sta- tus, including income levels and spending patterns. In our study, the majority of house- holds reported being agricultural laborers, a group that generally possesses limited knowl- edge about the prevention of waterborne dis- eases (Figure 1). These results are consistent
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Volume 89 • Number 3
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