A community perspective on changes in health related to diarrhea in northeastern Brazil

Prevalence and Health Care-Seeking Behavior for Childhood Diarrheal Disease in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the burden of diarrheal diseases is significant among children <5 years old. The objective of this study is to capture the prevalence of and health care–seeking behavior for childhood diarrheal diseases (CDDs) and to identify the factors associated with CDDs at a population level in Bangladesh. We use a logistic regression approach to model careseeking based on individual characteristics. The overall diarrhea prevalence among children <5 years old was found to be 5.71%. Some factors found to significantly influence the health care–seeking pattern were age and sex of the children, nutritional score, age and education of mothers, wealth index, and access to electronic media. The health care service could be improved through working in partnership with public facilities, private health care practitioners, and community-based organizations, so that all strata of the population get equitable access in cases of childhood diarrhoea.

Prevalence and determinants of child undernutrition and stunting in semiarid region of Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the evolution in the prevalence and determinants of malnutrition in children in the semiarid region of Brazil.

METHODS

Data were collected from two cross-sectional population-based household surveys that used the same methodology. Clustering sampling was used to collect data from 8,000 families in Ceará, Northeastern Brazil, for the years 1987 and 2007. Acute undernutrition was calculated as weight/age < -2 standard deviation (SD); stunting as height/age < -2 SD; wasting as weight/height < -2 SD. Data on biological and sociodemographic determinants were analyzed using hierarchical multivariate analyses based on a theoretical model.

RESULTS

A sample of 4,513 and 1,533 children under three years of age, in 1987 and 2007, respectively, were included in the analyses. The prevalence of acute malnutrition was reduced by 60.0%, from 12.6% in 1987 to 4.7% in 2007, while prevalence of stunting was reduced by 50.0%, from 27.0% in 1987 to 13.0% in 2007. Prevalence of wasting changed little in the period. In 1987, socioeconomic and biological characteristics (family income, mother’s education, toilet and tap water availability, children’s medical consultation and hospitalization, age, sex and birth weight) were significantly associated with undernutrition, stunting and wasting. In 2007, the determinants of malnutrition were restricted to biological characteristics (age, sex and birth weight). Only one socioeconomic characteristic, toilet availability, remained associated with stunting.

CONCLUSIONS

Socioeconomic development, along with health interventions, may have contributed to improvements in children’s nutritional status. Birth weight, especially extremely low weight (< 1,500 g), appears as the most important risk factor for early childhood malnutrition.

Mortalidade infantil na percepção de gestores e profissionais de saúde: determinantes do seu declínio e desafios atuais em município do sul do Brasil

Este estudo objetivou analisar a percepção de gestores e profissionais da saúde sobre os determinantes para o declínio da mortalidade infantil nas últimas décadas, bem como os desafios para a continuidade da redução dos valores desse indicador em Londrina (PR). Foi realizado uma pesquisa qualitativa com análise de entrevistas de 38 gestores, profissionais de saúde e pesquisadores, selecionados pela técnica da bola de neve. Na visão dos entrevistados, os determinantes para a redução da mortalidade infantil foram melhorias das condições de vida e medidas implantadas por políticas públicas e ações setoriais e extrassetoriais. Os desafios atuais dizem respeito, principalmente, à qualificação da assistência pré-natal, à redução da gravidez na adolescência, à melhoria da atenção hospitalar ao recém-nascido prematuro, à prevenção da prematuridade e ao financiamento do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). O aumento da proporção de mortes neonatais torna mais complexo e difícil reduzir a mortalidade infantil. Compreender as dificuldades e identificar os desafios, sob a percepção de gestores e profissionais da saúde, pode contribuir para o planejamento das ações necessárias para a melhoria da saúde das crianças menores de 1 ano e para a redução da mortalidade infantil.