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Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 1995 41(1):45-52; doi:10.1093/tropej/41.1.45
© 1995 by Oxford University Press
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Role of Social Factors in the Prevalence of Diarrhoeal Diseases in Under-five Saudi Children

Yagob Y. Al-Mazrou, MBChB, PhD, FRCGP*, Moslem U. Khan, DPH, MFCM, PhD**, Khwaja M.S. Aziz, MSc, PhD**, Mohamed K. Farag, MBChB, MS, PhD** and Mohamed Al-Jefry, DTMH***

*Ministry of Preventive Medicine MOH, Riyadh 11176, Saudi Arabia
**Directorate of Health Centres MOH, Riyadh 11176, Saudi Arabia
***Parasitic and Infectious Diseases Department MOH, Riyadh 11176, Saudi Arabia

Social factors influencing diarrhoea prevalence rates, in Saudi communities, were studied during 1991 taking statistically representative samples from the whole population. The factors included mother's age, child's age, birth order, parent's education, feeding pattern, and urban, rural, and regional residences. This study was a part of the National Maternal and Child Health Survey which involved interviewing of 6308 women with 8292 children under 5 years. The social factors and diarrhoea occurring in children during the preceding 14 days prior to the date of survey were inquired into and recorded in the pre-coded and field-tested questionnaire forms. There were 3.8 episodes of diarrhoea per year per child under 5 or 15 per cent per 2 weeks. This was higher than previously reported. The factors associated with higher prevalence rate were the children of youngest (15–19-years-old) mothers (28 per cent), the last children (18 per cent), and the children aged 6–17 months (24–31 per cent). Additionally, by birth order, the last (third) child on the average had highest rate (18 per cent) than the second (9 per cent) and the second had higher rate than the first (6 per cent) child. The rate in those who lived in rural setting was higher (15 per cent) than in those who lived in urban setting (14 per cent). The rates were almost identical between the areas of the country (13–17 percent) except having higher rate in the northern area (17 per cent). Diarrhoea rates in breast-and bottle-fed children were 19 and 18 per cent, respectively, while children on mixed breast- and bottle-feeding had higher rate (23 per cent). Education of either mother or father did not influence the diarrhoea rates.


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