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Association between Sociodemographic Factors and Diarrhea in Children Under 5 Years in Rwanda

Umuhoza Claudine1,2, Ju Yeong Kim1, Eun-Min Kim1

  • 1Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea.

The Korean Journal of Parasitology
|March 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Diarrheal disease significantly impacts children under 5 in Rwanda. Key risk factors include age, low economic status, maternal education, and family occupation, highlighting the need for targeted health interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Diarrheal disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • In Rwanda, diarrheal diseases rank as the third primary cause of death for children under five.
  • Malnutrition is strongly linked to diarrheal disease in this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sociodemographic factors and the incidence of diarrhea in Rwandan children under five.
  • To identify specific risk factors contributing to diarrheal disease prevalence in the study population.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 7,474 households from the 2014-2015 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey.
  • Employed statistical analysis to examine correlations between sociodemographic variables and childhood diarrhea.
  • Calculated odds ratios (OR) to quantify the risk associated with identified factors.

Main Results:

  • The overall prevalence of diarrhea was 12.7% among children under five.
  • Significant risk factors identified include children aged 12-23 months (OR=4.514), low economic status (OR=1.64), residence in the Western province (OR=1.439), mothers with poor education (OR=5.163), and families in agricultural activities (OR=1.624).

Conclusions:

  • Sociodemographic factors demonstrably influence the risk of developing diarrhea in young children in Rwanda.
  • Implementing health education programs focused on early intervention and promoting rotavirus vaccination is crucial for reducing diarrheal disease burden.

Keywords:
DiarrheaRwandachildren

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