Demographic and Health Survey 2009-10 - Timor-Leste Ministry of ...

The type of flooring material used in dwellings is a proxy indicator of the socioeconomic
status of a household as well as a potential source of exposure to disease-causing agents. Most
households in Timor-Leste have rudimentary or natural flooring made of earth, sand, or mud mixed
with dung. Finished floors made of tiles, cement, polished wood, and carpet are seen in just over one
in three households (36 percent). However, over the past five years there has been a small increase in
the percentage of households with finished floors, (28 percent in 2003 compared with 36 percent in
2009-10). Rural households are much more likely to have earth and sand floors (70 percent) than
urban households (27 percent). The second most common flooring material in rural areas is cement
(24 percent). About 15 percent of urban households have ceramic floors, and less than 2 percent have
palm/bamboo floors.
The number of rooms used for sleeping indicates the extent of crowding in households.
Overcrowding increases the risk of contracting infectious diseases like acute respiratory infections
and skin diseases, which particularly affect children. In the 2009-10 TLDHS, about half of the
households had three or more rooms for sleeping; 35 percent had two rooms, and 15 percent had one
room. Households in rural areas are less likely than those in urban areas to have three or more rooms
for sleeping (48 and 56 percent, respectively).
The presence and extent of indoor pollution is dependent on whether food is cooked inside the
house, the type of fuel used for cooking, and whether households have a chimney or hood to ventilate
cooking fumes. One in ten households (11 percent) cooks inside the house, 84 percent cook in a
separate building, and 5 percent cook outdoors. This pattern was observed in both urban and rural
areas. The majority of households in Timor-Leste use solid fuels (primarily wood) for cooking (95
percent). Although nearly all households in rural areas use wood for cooking (99 percent), 81 percent
of urban households use wood. Urban households are also much more likely to use kerosene (9
percent) and electricity (8 percent) for cooking. The data also indicate that among households that use
solid fuel for cooking, more than four in five do not use a chimney or hood (83 percent), and there is
no marked difference between urban and rural areas. A closed fire or stove with a chimney is used by
less than 1 percent of households in Timor-Leste.
2.5 HOUSEHOLD DURABLE GOODS
Information was collected in the 2009-10 TLDHS on the availability of household durable
goods, such as household effects, means of transportation, and ownership of agricultural land and
farm animals. Table 2.10 shows that 40 percent of households own a mobile telephone, 35 percent
own a radio, 23 percent own a television, and 9 percent own a refrigerator. Urban households are
much more likely than rural households to own these goods. For example, 49 percent of urban
households own a radio, compared with 30 percent of rural households. Mobile telephones are
available in 74 percent of households in urban areas and 30 percent of rural households, while 60
percent of urban households have a television and only 11 percent of households in rural areas have a
television.
The most common means of transportation in the country is a motorcycle or scooter, owned
by 13 percent of households, and another 11 percent of households own a bicycle, 9 percent own an
animal-drawn cart, and 4 percent own a car or truck. Less than 1 percent of households own a boat
with a motor. In general, urban households are much more likely to own a means of transport than
rural households.
26 | Household Population and Housing Characteristics