Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the Nature and causes of child diarrhoeal disease and its pervasiveness; to make Analysis and estimation of frequency of occurrence of child diarrhea.

Methods/Statistical analysis: It includes: Primary data of 232 children from IDBG hospital, Beliaghata, Kolkata by personal interview; Summery statistics through use of selected charts and tables on qualitative and quantitative variables; Use of correlation matrix to observe the correlation among different determinants; Mathematical model and proper framing of testable hypothesis; Regression analysis carried out through OLS method. Uniqueness in such a sense is that this type of work was not done before in Kolkata especially in IDBG hospital.

Findings: 50.86% of our surveyed respondents have been found to suffer from Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD). 72.41% of other members of the family suffer from AWD, where 50% of children are being reporting to be suffering from AWD. Among the suffered Children 71.55% are breast fed.44.4% respondents are aware about waterborne diseases. Average frequency of AWD occurrence is 1. Mean child age of the suffered children is 5 years. Mothers are more educated than fathers. Mean income group are lower middle class. Number of households (respondents) decrease with increase in frequency of occurrence of child diarrhea. Chance of diarrheal occurrence declines with increase in the age of children. Illiterate or less educated mothers are more employed than higher educated mother. Correlation between child’s age and the frequency of occurrence of child diarrhea is -0.287 which is significant at 1% level. Correlation between child’s education and the frequency of occurrence of child diarrhea is significant at 5% level of significance with correlation value -0.1874. Monthly income is negatively correlated with the frequency of occurrence of diarrhea, showing the correlation value -0.1222 and it is significant at 10% level of significance. Child age, Mothers’ education, Dependency ratio, Monthly income, Awareness of waterborne have significant role in lowering the AWD among the children. It has been observed that there is very little literature on child diarrhoea in slums of Kolkata. A huge number of children suffer from AWD in rainy season comes to IDBG hospital, Kolkata for treatment which is not addressed properly till date.

Application/Improvements: In case of socio economic issues, health economics and development economics this study can be used and referred to.

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