Background In Benin, access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) remains an issue. This study aims to provide an overview of household access to basic WASH services based on nationally representative data. Method Secondary analyses were run using the ‘HOUSEHOLD’ dataset of the fifth Demographic and Health Survey 2017–2018. The dependent variables were household access to individual and combined basic WASH services. The characteristics of the household head and those related to the composition, wealth and environment of the household were independent variables. After a descriptive analysis of all study variables, multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of outcome variables. Results The study included 14,156 households. Of these, 63.98% (95% CI = 61.63–66.26), 13.28% (95% CI = 12.10–14.57) and 10.11% (95% CI = 9.19–11.11) had access to individual basic water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, respectively. Also, 3% (95% CI = 2.53–3.56) of households had access to combined basic WASH services. Overall, the richest households and few, and those headed by people aged 30 and over, female and with higher levels of education, were the most likely to have access to individual and combined basic WASH services. In addition, disparities based on the department of residence were observed. Conclusion The authors suggest a multifactorial approach that addresses the identified determinants.

IntroductionSub-Saharan Africa has the highest under-five mortality rate and is among the regions where people have the least access to adequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services. The work aimed to investigate the effects of WASH conditions faced by children on under-five mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsWe carried out secondary analyses using the Demographic and Health Survey datasets of 30 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study population consisted of children born within 5 years preceding the selected surveys. The dependent variable was the child’s status (1 = deceased versus 0 = alive) on the survey day. The individual WASH conditions in which children live were assessed in their immediate environment, i.e., at the level of their households of residence. The other explanatory variables were related to the child, mother, household, and environment. Following a description of the study variables, we identified the predictors of under-five mortality using a mixed logistic regression.ResultsThe analyses involved 303,985 children. Overall, 6.36% (95% CI = 6.24–6.49) of children died before their fifth birthday. The percentage of children living in households with access to individual basic WASH services was 58.15% (95% CI = 57.51–58.78), 28.18% (95% CI = 27.74–28.63), and 17.06% (95% CI = 16.71–17.41), respectively. Children living in households using unimproved water facilities (aOR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.04–1.16) or surface water (aOR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.03–1.20) were more likely to die before five than those coming from households with basic water facilities. The risk of under-five mortality was 11% higher for children living in households with limited sanitation facilities (aOR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.04–1.18) than for those with basic sanitation services. We found no evidence to support a relationship between household access to hygiene services and under-five mortality.ConclusionInterventions to reduce under-five mortality should focus on strengthening access to basic water and sanitation services. Further studies are needed to investigate the contribution of access to basic hygiene services on under-five mortality.

Introduction With the end of the Millennium Agenda, the United Nations Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Agenda in 2015. This new agenda identifies 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets for 2030, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). Objective To study the evolution of household access to WASH services over the last two decades in Benin and make projections for 2030. Methods In this study, secondary analyses were performed using the datasets of the Demographic and Health Surveys in Benin from 2001 to 2017–2018. The statistical unit was the household. The achievement of the WASH SDGs targets was monitored through the proportion of households using individual basic WASH services, the proportion of households using surface water for drinking, and the proportion of households practising open defecation. The study generated Annual Percentage Changes (APCs) for outcome variables. Based on the APCs between 2001 and 2017–2018, projections were made for 2030. Results From 2001 to 2017–2018, household access to individual basic WASH services increased from 50.54% to 63.98% (APC = +1.44%), 5.39% to 13.29% (APC = +5.62%), and 2.12% to 10.11% (APC = +9.92%), respectively. At the same time, the prevalence of surface water consumption and open defecation among households decreased from 10.54% to 5.84% (APC = -3.52%) and 67.03% to 53.91% (APC = -1.31%), respectively. If the trend observed between 2001 and 2017–2018 remains unchanged, the national coverage of households with basic individual WASH services would be 76.50%, 26.33% and 10.51%, respectively, by 2030. The prevalence of surface water consumption and open defecation among households would be 3.73% and 45.71%, respectively, by 2030. Conclusion Benin achieved significant progress in household coverage of adequate WASH services over the last two decades. However, progress appears insufficient to achieve universal coverage of households with basic WASH services, and eliminate surface water consumption and open defecation by 2030. There is a need to strengthen research into the drivers of household access to adequate WASH services.