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Risk factors of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children under five years of age
S C Dharmage1, L C Rajapaksa, D N Fernando
1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Insights
This study identified key risk factors for acute lower respiratory-tract infections (ALRI) in children under five. Prevention strategies can be developed by addressing factors like wheezing history, low birth weight, and passive smoking.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Acute lower respiratory-tract infections (ALRI) are a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally.
- Identifying specific risk factors is crucial for effective prevention and intervention strategies in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the factors associated with acute lower respiratory-tract infections (ALRI) in children under five years of age.
- To compare children hospitalized with ALRI to a control group to identify significant risk determinants.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 100 children hospitalized with ALRI and a control group.
- Data collection included socio-demographic, biological, and environmental characteristics through maternal interviews and anthropometric measurements.
- Statistical analysis involved univariate and multivariate methods to identify risk factors.
Main Results:
- Significant risk factors for ALRI included a history of wheezing, low birth weight, passive smoking, male sex, and cesarean delivery.
- Other identified risk factors were sharing sleeping space, not being exclusively breastfed for four months, stunting, and having pets.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed the significance of these variables in increasing ALRI risk.
Conclusions:
- Several modifiable and non-modifiable factors contribute to the risk of ALRI in young children.
- The findings suggest simple preventive strategies targeting identified risk factors can reduce ALRI incidence.
- Public health initiatives should focus on addressing environmental exposures and nutritional status to combat childhood respiratory infections.
Abstract:
This study attempted to identify the determinants of acute lower respiratory-tract infections (ALRI) among children under five years of age, by comparing hundred children hospitalized with ALRI with a control group. Data on socio-demographic, biological and environmental characteristics were collected by interviewing mothers and anthropometric measurements were carried out to assess the nutritional status of the children. Risk of disease in the presence of each exposure was calculated in the univariate analysis and the best explanatory variables among them were identified in the multivariate analysis. The following variables were found to increase the risk of ALRI: (1) history of wheezing, (2) low birth weight, (3) passive smoking, (4) male sex, (5) delivery by cesarean section (6) sharing of sleeping space, (7) not being exclusively breast fed upto the completion of four months, (8) stunting, (9) having pets. The findings highlight some simple strategies which would help in prevention of ALRI.