Prevalence of Diarrhoeal Diseases – An Indicator for Poor Environmental Sanitation

Kerala (India) has a low prevalence of diarrhoeal diseases, but recently there has been an increase in water –related diseases. Prevalence of diarrhoea (in two rural communities of Kerala) among under-five children was selected as the indicator, to assess the factors leading to a resurgence of diarrhoeal diseases. Related factors studied were access to clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygienic behaviour prevalent. Methodology involved a cross-sectional household survey, using a pretested interview schedule. Among the 1028 under-five children, the prevalence of diarrhoea was 8.7% in the two week period preceding the survey. Occurrence of diarrhoea was significantly associated with the socio-economic status of the household, age of the child, breast-feeding practises, hygiene behaviour, availability of drinking water, presence of sanitation facility etc. Washing hands was significantly associated with occurrence of diarrhoea in some instances. The need for a region specific health education and increased availability of water was realised. Keywords: Diarrhoeal Diseases, Environmental Sanitation, Kerala