10.17037/DATA.00005151
In refugee settings, safe and private access to sanitation is often constrained by overcrowding and limited infrastructure. While coverage indicators such as toilet availability are often used to monitor progress, they do not capture users lived experiences. The Sanitation-related Quality of Life (SanQoL-5) index measures individual sanitation experiences across five dimensions: privacy, safety, disgust, shame, and disease risk. This study assessed sanitation access and SanQoL-5 among refugee populations in Gambella, Ethiopia, and identify factors associated with variation in SanQoL-5.
We conducted a cross-sectional, representative survey across two refugee settlements in Gambella, Ethiopia, a region hosting approximately 42% of the country's total refugee population. Data were collected on sanitation access, facility type, location and characteristics, alongside experiential outcomes using SanQoL-5 (scored 0–1; higher scores indicate better quality of life). Generalised linear regression models were used to explore associations between SanQoL-5 scores, and hypothesised factors, including gender, facility type and location, construction quality, and cleaning arrangements. Analyses were stratified by toilet location (on- or off-compound) following evidence of effect modification.
The dataset contains 85 variables in total, outlined below.
| Variable Name | Variable Label | Answer Label | Answer Code | Variable Type |
| id | Respondent ID | Open ended | Integer | |
| camp | Camp location | String | ||
| Nguenyyiel | Nguenyyiel | |||
| Tierkidi | Tierkidi | |||
| age | Respondent age (continuous) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| gender | Respondent gender | Numeric | ||
| Male | 1 | |||
| Female | 2 | |||
| livedinhome | How long have you lived in your current home (in years)? | Open ended | Numeric | |
| education | What is your highest level of education received? | Numeric | ||
| None | 0 | |||
| 1-4 1st primary | 1 | |||
| 5-8 2nd primary | 2 | |||
| 9-10 secondary | 3 | |||
| 11-12 preparatory | 4 | |||
| Diploma TVET (e.g. vocational, tailoring, masonry) | 5 | |||
| College/University | 6 | |||
| Other (specify) | 7 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 8 | |||
| Don’t Know | . | |||
| childrenunder5 | Number of children under 5 in the household | Open ended | Numeric | |
| olderadults | Number of older adults in the household | Open ended | Numeric | |
| disabledperson | Number of disabled persons in the household | Open ended | Numeric | |
| sanitationshared | Sanitation facility is shared | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| sanitationsharednumber | Number of households that share sanitation facility | Open ended | Numeric | |
| walls | What type of material is used for the walls? | Numeric | ||
| Concrete | 1 | |||
| Burnt bricks | 2 | |||
| Cloth | 3 | |||
| Plastic sheeting | 4 | |||
| Grass | 5 | |||
| Bamboo | 6 | |||
| Iron sheets | 7 | |||
| Clay/mud | 8 | |||
| roof | What type of material is used for the roof? | Numeric | ||
| Cloth | 1 | |||
| Plastic sheeting | 2 | |||
| Grass | 3 | |||
| Iron sheets | 4 | |||
| Bamboo | 5 | |||
| Clay/mud | 6 | |||
| No roof | ||||
| sanitationdoor | Does the toilet have a solid door? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| lockoutside | Is there a lock present on the outside of the door? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| handwashing | Is there a place for handwashing near the toilet? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| soaphw | Observe: Is there a soap agent present at the handwashing place? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| waterhw | Observe: Is there water present at the handwashing place? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| pwd_access | The toilet is accessible for people with disabilities | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| visibledirt | There is visible dirt or faeces on the toilet (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| Visible dirt | 1 | |||
| Visible faeces | 2 | |||
| Clean | 3 | |||
| smellreduction | What type of smell-reduction system is in place? | Numeric | ||
| Nothing | 0 | |||
| Pipe | 1 | |||
| Window | 2 | |||
| cleaningrota | Is there a rota system/cleaning programme for cleaning the toilet? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| Don't know | 2 | |||
| useatnight | Do you use this toilet during the night? | Numeric | ||
| No | 0 | |||
| Yes | 1 | |||
| childfaecesdisposal | Where do you mostly dispose your children's faeces under the age of five? | Numeric | ||
| In the toilet/latrine | 1 | |||
| Bury | 2 | |||
| Discard in the bush | 3 | |||
| Discard in the compound | 3 | |||
| No children present | 4 | |||
| Don't know | . | |||
| disgust_toilet | How often do you feel disgusted when using the toilet? | Numeric | ||
| Always | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Never | 2 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 3 | |||
| health_toilet | How often do you worry that the toilet spreads disease? | Numeric | ||
| Always | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Never | 2 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 3 | |||
| privacy_toilet | How often do you worry about being seen while using the toilet? | Numeric | ||
| Always | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Never | 2 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 3 | |||
| shame_toilet | How often do you feel ashamed about using the toilet? | Numeric | ||
| Always | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Never | 2 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 3 | |||
| safety_toilet_end | How often do you feel unsafe using the toilet? | Numeric | ||
| Always | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Never | 2 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 3 | |||
| convenience_toilet | How often do worry about accessing the toilet quickly and conveniently when needed? | Numeric | ||
| Always | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Never | 2 | |||
| Refuse to answer | 3 | |||
| rank_disgust | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_health | Value Health: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_privacy | Value Privacy: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_shame | Value Shame: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_safety | Value Safety: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_convenience | Value Covenience: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_disgust2 | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-5 (recalculated from 1-10 scale) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_health2 | Value Health: Ranked 1-5 (recalculated from 1-10 scale) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_privacy2 | Value Privacy: Ranked 1-5 (recalculated from 1-10 scale) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_shame2 | Value Shame: Ranked 1-5 (recalculated from 1-10 scale) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| rank_safety2 | Value Safety: Ranked 1-5 (recalculated from 1-10 scale) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| disgust | RECODE disgust 3 levels (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| always | 0 | |||
| sometimes | 1 | |||
| never | 2 | |||
| health | RECODE of health 3 levels (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| always | 0 | |||
| sometimes | 1 | |||
| never | 2 | |||
| privacy | RECODE of privacy 3 levels (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| always | 0 | |||
| sometimes | 1 | |||
| never | 2 | |||
| shame | RECODE of shame 3 levels (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| always | 0 | |||
| sometimes | 1 | |||
| never | 2 | |||
| waterjmp | Water source by JMP definitions (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| basic | 1 | |||
| limited | 2 | |||
| surface water | 3 | |||
| unimproved | 4 | |||
| m_disgust | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent, Mean | Open ended | Numeric | |
| m_privacy | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent, Mean | Open ended | Numeric | |
| m_health | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent, Mean | Open ended | Numeric | |
| m_shame | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent, Mean | Open ended | Numeric | |
| m_safety | Value Disgust: Ranked 1-10 by survey respondent, Mean | Open ended | Numeric | |
| wt_disg | Weighted rank for value disgust (6-m_disgust/ 15) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| wt_health | Weighted rank for valuehealth (6-m_health/ 15) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| wt_shame | Weighted rank for value shame (6-m_shame/ 15) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| wt_safety | Weighted rank for value safety (6-m_safety/ 15) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| wt_privacy | Weighted rank for value privacy (6-m_privacy/ 15) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| sanqol | Sanitation-related Quality of Life (SanQoL) for toilet users | Open ended | Numeric | |
| sanitationjmp_v2 | RECODE of sanitation facility into JMP definitions with more detail (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| safely managed: uddt not shared | 1 | |||
| basic: pit latrine not shared | 2 | |||
| limited: uddt, shared 2 households | 3 | |||
| limited: pit latrine, shared 2 households | 4 | |||
| limited: uddt shared >2 | 5 | |||
| limited: pit latrine shared >2 | 6 | |||
| od | 7 | |||
| sanitationfacility | Sanitation facility type (categorical) | long | ||
| Urine-Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT) | 1 | |||
| Pit latrine | 2 | |||
| No facility - Open Defecation (OD) | 3 | |||
| education_bi | RECODE of education (binary) | Numeric | ||
| None | 0 | |||
| Some formal education | 2 | |||
| childrenunder5_bi | Number of children under 5 in household (binary) | Numeric | ||
| none | 0 | |||
| 1 or more | 1 | |||
| olderadults_bi | Number of older adults in household (binary) | Numeric | ||
| none | 0 | |||
| 1 or more | 1 | |||
| disabledperson_bi | disabled person (binary) | Numeric | ||
| none | 0 | |||
| 1 or more | 1 | |||
| smellreduction_bi | RECODE of smell reduction present (binary) | Numeric | ||
| none | 0 | |||
| pipe or window ventilation | 1 | |||
| visibledirt_bi | Is the toilet facility visibilty dirty (binary) | Numeric | ||
| not visibly dirty | 1 | |||
| visibly dirty | 2 | |||
| disgust_od | Disgust non toilet user (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| Never | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Always | 2 | |||
| health_od | Health non toilet user (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| Never | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Always | 2 | |||
| privacy_od | Privacy non toilet user (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| Never | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Always | 2 | |||
| shame_od | Shame non toilet user (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| Never | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Always | 2 | |||
| safety_od | Safety non toilet user (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| Never | 0 | |||
| Sometimes | 1 | |||
| Always | 2 | |||
| age_cat | Respondent age categories | Numeric | ||
| 18-29 | 1 | |||
| 30-44 | 2 | |||
| 45-59 | 3 | |||
| 60+ | 4 | |||
| livedinhome_cat | Number of years lived in home (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| 1-2 years | 1 | |||
| 3-4 years | 2 | |||
| 5-6 years | 3 | |||
| 7-8 years | 4 | |||
| 9-10 years | 5 | |||
| walls_bi | RECODE of walls (wall materials type) | Numeric | ||
| not solid walls | 0 | |||
| solid walls | 1 | |||
| visibledirt_binary2 | RECODE of visibledirt (types of visible dirt/ categorical) | Numeric | ||
| faeces | 0 | |||
| clean | 1 | |||
| lockinside | Is there a lock present on the inside of the door? | Numeric | ||
| no lock | 0 | |||
| lock | 1 | |||
| vtot2 | Value total of ranked values (Digust, Shame, Safety, Privacy, Health) for Open Defecation Survey Respondents | 1 to 10 | Numeric | |
| vtotcheck2 | Indicates if vtot2 does not equal 15 (=1 if != 15) | Numeric | ||
| vtot2 does not equal 15 | 1 | |||
| sanqol_od | SanQoL for open defecation | Open ended | Numeric | |
| sanqol_all | SanQoL for all participants | Open ended | Numeric | |
| sanitationfacility_binary | RECODE of sanitationfacility (sanitation facility type) | Numeric | ||
| Sanitation | 0 | |||
| Open defecation (od) | 3 | |||
| campcluster | cluster factor | Numeric | ||
| NguenyyielZone_A | 1 | |||
| NguenyyielZone_B | 2 | |||
| NguenyyielZone_C | 3 | |||
| NguenyyielZone_D | 4 | |||
| TierkidiZone_A | 5 | |||
| TierkidiZone_B | 6 | |||
| TierkidiZone_C | 7 | |||
| TierkidiZone_D | 8 | |||
| waterjmp_bi | RECODE of waterjmp (water source by jmp definitions) | Numeric | ||
| less basic | 0 | |||
| basic | 1 | |||
| analcleansing_bi | Anal cleansing materials (binary) | Numeric | ||
| none | 0 | |||
| present | 1 | |||
| sanitationlocationv2 | sanitation location | Numeric | ||
| within compound | 1 | |||
| outside compound | 2 | |||
| roof_bi | RECODE of roof (categorical) | Numeric | ||
| no roof | 0 | |||
| roof | 1 |