Maternal and Primary Care System Factors Affecting Oral Rehydration Therapy in Rural Guinea

Abstract

Maternal sociodemographics, knowledge about oral rehydration, and specific health practices were found to interact with access to primary care system variables in predicting the use of oral rehydration in two areas of rural Guinea. Extremely limited primary health care resources were related to very low levels of usage even with a national effort to increase oral rehydration therapy. The study used a stratified sampling design to compare the differential effects of town, village, health care system availability and ethnic factors in oral rehydration solution use.