Influence of demographic, socioeconomic and environmental variables on childhood diarrhoea in a rural area of Zaire.

Abstract

There have been very few longitudinal studies of diarrhoea morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. This longitudinal study of children aged 3-35 months from 18 clusters of villages reports an annual incidence rate of 6.3 episodes per child in a rural area of Zaire, which is higher than a cross-sectional estimate previously obtained in the same district. The study confirms that a child's risk of diarrhoeal attack is associated with age, water quality and sanitation, parental education and household size. The findings suggest also that birth interval may be an important risk factor for diarrhoeal morbidity.