EFFECT OF HEALTH-EDUCATION AND PRIMARY-CARE ON DIARRHEAL DISEASE MORBIDITY IN CHILDREN - EVALUATION OF A PREDICTIVE INTERVENTION MODEL

Two groups of infants (intervention group n=66, and control group n=45 ) at risk of persistent diarrhoea (PD) as identified by a predictive m odel were followed for 12 months. Families were visited at home weekly ; mothers in the intervention group received information about prevent ion and treatment of diarrhoea and were encouraged to seek help in the field station when their children became ill. These children suffered fewer days with any illness, diarrhoea, or respiratory episodes (p<0. 00001 each). Also, in this group, the incidence of PD decreased to the levels of nonselected population only in children whose mothers consu lted for the episode of diarrhoea (2.8%). Results show that the interv ention decreased the time children suffered diarrhoea and also respira tory and other illnesses. This suggests that the predictive model iden tified children with high risk but is not disease-specific. Risk appea rs to be related to maternal behaviours. The model may be useful in th e community for detecting groups vulnerable to common paediatric illne sses, including diarrhoeal disease.