Comparison of chronic suppurative otitis media in rural and urban primary school children in Bangladesh.

Abstract

To compare chronic suppurative otitis media prevalence in rural and urban primary school children in Bangladesh, and to determine its relationship with specific sociodemographic factors. In this cross-sectional survey, 681 rural primary school children from Shibpur upazilla, Narsingdi district, and 964 urban primary school children from Dhaka Metropolitan City, underwent an ENT check-up by doctors trained in ENT. Their parents or guardians were interviewed with regard to their sociodemographic status and other related issues using a pre-tested protocol. In this study, 6.02 per cent of the rural primary school children and 2.07 per cent of the urban primary school children had chronic suppurative otitis media. (Overall, 3.71 per cent of the children had the disorder.) The disorder was slightly more prevalent among girls than boys in both rural (6.05 vs 5.98 per cent) and urban (2.33 vs 1.82 per cent) communities. There was a significant association between the presence of chronic suppurative otitis media in children and: parents' or guardians' occupation and their annual income, housing type, family size, maternal education, and bathing habit. Improvement of associated sociodemographic factors would reduce the prevalence and resultant complications of chronic suppurative otitis media in primary school children in developing countries.