The Impacts of Food Habit and Sanitation on Child (under 5) in Relation to their Diarrhoeal Disease

Abstract

A cross sectional study was carried out to find out the impacts of food habit,
sanitation and socio-economic condition in relation to child’s diarrhoeal disease.
The study was conducted in two rural areas i.e. Hatibati village under Batiaghata
upazilla and Hulhulia village under Kalaroa upazilla of Bangladesh through 82
households and 105 children under 5. In this study it was found that 63 percent
of children at Hatibati village and 62 percent of children at Hulhulia village have
suffered from diarrhoea at least one time in a year. In this study it was found that
52 percent of child’s parents were educated. Fifty percent o f child’s mother were
not aware about sanitation and child health, 67 percent o f child’s father have
income below Tk. 3000 per month. About 11 percent o f children never drank
breast milk in their life and 76 percent o f children did not wash hand before
taking food. Only 30 percent of children used sanitary latrine for defecation.
Forty percent of child’s father had no radio/ TV and 29 percent o f child’s father
had no latrine for their defecation. The present study suggests that the
Government and other NGOs should take initiatives to educate and make aware
rural people about sanitation and child health, provide earning sources to them
, and improve their socio-economic conditions for mitigating child’s diarrhoeal
disease.