Prevalence of Gastro Intestinal symptoms and its determinants among rural population of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu,India

Abstract

Background: Water is the most common yet the most precious resource on earth without which there would be no life on earth .The most predominant water borne disease is diarrhoea of which 88% is attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Diarrhoea causes 4% of deaths worldwide. Objective: To measure the prevalence of Gastro Intestinal (GI) problems and its determinants in rural area of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu. Materials and methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in the rural area of Chunampet, Kancheepuram district. The study area includes ten villages, out of which 2 villages were selected. The study was conducted on January 2014. Sample size was calculated as 1200. Data was collected using questionnaire containing details on socio demographic profile, drinking water, and details of family members with Gastro intestinal symptoms. Results & Conclusion: During the last 3 months, 11.8% (58) of the houses had GI problems. 55.7% households use pipe water for drinking purpose, 64.4% household members don’t consume chlorinated water, 59.3% household members don’t consume boiled water and 68.7% households don’t have proper latrine facility. The study showed that the reported GI problems were high among the houses who consume water which is neither boiled nor chlorinated and don’t wash their hands before eating ,which were the most likely risk factors for acquiring GI illness.