Acute childhood morbidities in rural Wardha : Some epidemiological correlates and health care seeking

Background: In India, common morbidities among children under 3 years of age are fever, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea. Effective early management at the home level and health care-seeking behavior in case of appearance of danger signs are key strategies to prevent the occurrence of severe and life-threatening complications. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of acute child morbidities, their determinants and health-seeking behavior of the mothers of these children. Setting and Design: The cross-sectional study was carried out in Wardha district of central India. Material and Methods: We interviewed 990 mothers of children below 3 years of age using 30-cluster sampling method. Nutritional status was defined by National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference. Composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) was constructed. Hemoglobin concentration in each child was estimated using the ′filter paper cyanm ethemoglobin method.′ Using World Health Organization guidelines, anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentration less than 110 g/L. Post-survey focus group discussions (FGDs) were undertaken to bridge gaps in information obtained from the survey. Statistical Analysis: The data was analyzed by using SPSS 12.0.1 software package. Chi-square was used to test the association, while odds ratios were calculated to measure the strength of association. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to derive the final model. Results: Anemia was detected in 80.3% of children, and 59.6% of children were undernourished as indicated by CIAF. The overall prevalence of acute morbidity was 59.9%. Children with mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia had 1.52, 1.61 and 9.21 times higher risk of being morbid, respectively. Similarly, children with single, 2 and 3 anthropometric failures had 1.16, 1.29 and 2.27 times higher risk of being morbid, respectively. Out of 594 (60%) children with at least one of the acute morbidities, 520 (87.5%) sought health care, where majority (66.1%) received treatment from private clinics. The final model suggested that anemia and mother′s poor educational status are predictors of childhood morbidity. Conclusions: Nutritional anemia and mother′s poor educational status are the most important risk factors of acute childhood morbidity. There is need to revitalize existing health care delivery and child health programs in rural India with emphasis on immediate correction of nutritional anemia.