Page 73 - GHES-2-2

Global Health Econ Sustain

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Spatial prevalence and associated risk factors of

childhood diarrhea: A cross-sectional study in
rural Indian context

Priya Das 1† , Subhadeep Saha 2† , Tanu Das 2† , Partha Das 2† , and
2
Tamal Basu Roy *
1 Department of Geography, University of Gour Banga, Malda, West Bengal, India
2 Department of Geography, Research Scholar Raiganj University, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Diarrheal disease is the most prevalent health issue among children under the age
of five, contributing to a staggering toll of approximately 525,000 deaths worldwide
each year. Despite its devastating consequences, it is essential to note that this
disease is both preventable and treatable. The present study aims to investigate the
prevalence of childhood (under 5 years) diarrheal disease in rural parts of India and
identify relevant factors associated with diarrheal disease, encompassing maternal,
† These authors contributed to the
work equally household, environmental, and individual-level characteristics. In addition, the study
highlights the spatial distribution of diarrheal disease across India, identifying hot-
Academic editor: spot and cold-spot regions, along with the associated risk factors. The study utilized
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE
secondary data extracted from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey,
*Corresponding author: conducted in India between 2019 and 2021 (N=161,368). Binary logistic regression
Tamal Basu Roy
(tamalbasuroy@gmail.com) analysis and spatial clustering techniques, specifically utilizing Global Moran’s I, were
employed to achieve the study’s objectives. The findings revealed that diarrhea cases
Citation: Das, P., Saha, S., Das, T., are more prevalent among the poor, rural, and children of Muslim families, as well
Das, P., & Roy, T.B. 2024. Spatial
prevalence and associated risk as among those residing in environments lacking hygienic or adequate sanitation
factors of childhood diarrhea: facilities and in households without floors, walls, or roofs built with concrete material.
A cross-sectional study in rural The highest prevalence is observed in the eastern and western parts of India.
Indian context. Global Health Econ
Sustain, 2(2): 2048. Necessary interventions are required to reduce diarrhea cases among children under
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2048 the age of five in rural Indian areas. Given the vector-borne nature of this disease,
Received: October 16, 2023 public awareness of the importance of maintaining fresh and clean drinking water
facilities is imperative.
Accepted: February 19, 2024
Published Online: May 21, 2024
Keywords: Diarrhea; National Family Health Survey; Rural; Under-five children; India;
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Hotspot; Cold spot
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, 1. Introduction
provided the original work is
properly cited. Childhood diarrhea is a major public health concern that can cause high morbidity
Publisher’s Note: AccScience and mortality among children under the age of five. According to the World Health
Publishing remains neutral with Organization (WHO), diarrheal disease is defined as the passage of three or more
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional loose or liquid stools per day and is triggered by viral, bacterial, protozoan, and
affiliations. parasitic organisms (WHO, 2017 & 2021). Diarrhea is particularly prevalent in lower

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2048