INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIOECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES ON CHILDHOOD DIARRHEA IN A RURAL AREA OF ZAIRE

There have been very few longitudinal studies of diarrhoea morbidity i n sub-Saharan Africa. This longitudinal study of children aged 3-35 mo nths from 18 clusters of villages reports an annual incidence rate of 6.3 episodes per child in a rural area of Zaire, which is higher than a cross-sectional estimate previously obtained in the same district. T he study confirms that a child's risk of diarrhoeal attack is associat ed with age, water quality and sanitation, parental education and hous ehold size. The findings suggest also that birth interval may be an im portant risk factor for diarrhoeal morbidity.