Abstract
Introduction: Acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under-five children in developing countries with nearly 156 million new episodes each year, of which India accounts for a bulk of 43 million. According to Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) latest estimates for 2010, pneumonia was responsible for 0.397 million of total estimated 1.682 million under-5 deaths in India. Objective: The present study was undertaken to study the various risk factors of Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTI) in children aged 1 month to 5 years. Methods: In the present study100 ALRTI cases belong to the age group of 1 month to 5 years fulfilling WHO criteria for pneumonia who were attended to the department of Pediatrics, ASRAM Medical College from August 2017 to August 2018 were evaluated for risk factors after obtaining parental consent. Results: Parental illiteracy (p=0.000*), overcrowding (p=0.0000*), incomplete immunization (p=0.0000*), lack of exclusive breast feeding (p=0.0004*), low birth weight (p=0.000*), use ofbiomass fuels for lighting (p=0.0002*), mud/ cowdung flooring (p=0.0088*) were identified as potential risk factors for severe ALRTI. Conclusion: The present study has identified various socio-demographic, nutritional and environmental risk factors for ALRTI which can be tackled by effective health education of the community and effective training of peripheral health personnel.
Highlights
Acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under-five children in developing countries with nearly 156 million new episodes each year, of which India accounts for a bulk of 43 million
Childhood pneumonia is caused by a combination of exposure to risk factors related to the host, the environment and infection
Among the 100 cases of Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTI) studied, 78 (78%) children suffered with Pneumonia and 22 (22%) children suffered with Severe pneumonia
Summary
Acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under-five children in developing countries with nearly 156 million new episodes each year, of which India accounts for a bulk of 43 million. Objective: The present study was undertaken to study the various risk factors of Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTI) in children aged 1 month to 5 years. Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (ALRTI) is the leading cause of under-5 childhood morbidity in the world, with nearly 156 million new episodes each year, of which India accounts for a bulk of 43 million. Use of solid fuels in a household, overcrowding, lack of exclusive breastfeeding, low degree of maternal education, which are often characteristics of poor households are cited by many studies [4,5,6] as the common risk factors for occurrence of ALRTI [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
