Association of food-hygiene practices and diarrhea prevalence among Indonesian young children from low socioeconomic urban areas

Rina Agustina,Ingeborg Mj Bovee-Oudenhoven,Frans J Kok,Tirta P Sari,Edith Jm Feskens,Soemilah Satroamidjojo

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-977

Abstract

BackgroundInformation on the part that poor food-hygiene practices play a role in the development of diarrhea in low socioeconomic urban communities is lacking. This study was therefore aimed at assessing the contribution of food-hygiene practice to the prevalence of diarrhea among Indonesian children.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 274 randomly selected children aged 12–59 months in selected low socioeconomic urban areas of East Jakarta. The prevalence of diarrhea was assessed from 7-day records on frequency and consistency of the child’s defecation pattern. Food-hygiene practices including mother’s and child’s hand washing, food preparation, cleanliness of utensils, water source and safe drinking water, habits of buying cooked food, child’s bottle feeding hygiene, and housing and environmental condition were collected through home visit interviews and observations by fieldworkers. Thirty-six practices were scored and classified into poor (median and below) and better (above median) food-hygiene practices. Nutritional status of children, defined anthropometrically, was measured through height and weight.ResultsAmong the individual food-hygiene practices, children living in a house with less dirty sewage had a significantly lower diarrhea prevalence compared to those who did not [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.03-0.73]. The overall food-hygiene practice score was not significantly associated with diarrhea in the total group, but it was in children aged < 2 years (adjusted OR 4.55, 95% CI = 1.08-19.1).ConclusionsOverall poor mother’s food-hygiene practices did not contribute to the occurrence of diarrhea in Indonesian children. However, among children < 2 years from low socioeconomic urban areas they were associated with more diarrhea.

Highlights

Information on the part that poor food-hygiene practices play a role in the development of diarrhea in low socioeconomic urban communities is lacking
We hypothesized that the prevalence of diarrhea and malnutrition among children in low socioeconomic urban areas of East Jakarta is high, because children and mothers are exposed to the environmental factors that cause diarrhea such as unsafe water, and poor sanitation and hygiene, and due to poor food-hygiene practice
Our study indicates that the risk of having diarrhea is increased in children aged

Summary

Introduction

Information on the part that poor food-hygiene practices play a role in the development of diarrhea in low socioeconomic urban communities is lacking. Diarrhea incidence remains a tremendous burden on children in low- and middle-income countries [2] due to multiple determinants [3] such as child malnutrition [4], low socioeconomic status and education of mothers [5,6], lack of safe drinking-water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene [7,8], crowding [9] and low maternal age [10]. These determinants of diarrheal disease are strongly linked to poverty and social inequities [11]. The results of this study can be useful in designing an intervention study, health plans and policies related to mother and child hygienic behavior

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Results

Conclusion