Effects of Hand-Washing Facilities with Water and Soap on Diarrhea Incidence among Children under Five Years in Lao People’s Democratic Republic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Yuko Noguchi, Daisuke Nonaka, Sengchanh Kounnavong and Jun Kobayashi
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Yuko Noguchi: Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 903-0125, Japan
Daisuke Nonaka: Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 903-0125, Japan
Sengchanh Kounnavong: Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute, Ministry of Health, Samsenthai Road, Ban Kaognot, Sisattanack District, Vientiane 01030, Laos
Jun Kobayashi: Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa 903-0125, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: Diarrhea is a leading cause of death among children under five (U5) in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). This study assessed the association between the presence of household hand-washing facilities with water and soap and diarrhea episodes among children U5 in Lao PDR. Data from the Lao Social Indicator Survey II were used. The outcome variable was diarrhea episodes in the two weeks preceding the survey. The main predictor variable was the presence of household hand-washing facilities with or without water and/or soap. Mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association, controlling for clustering, and other predictor variables. Of the 8640 households surveyed with 11,404 children, 49.1% possessed hand-washing facilities with both water and soap and 34.7% possessed hand-washing facilities with water alone. Children whose households possessed hand-washing facilities with water alone were significantly more likely to have a diarrhea episode compared to children whose households possessed hand-washing facilities with both water and soap (8.1% vs. 5.9%; odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–1.81). The association remained significant even after adjusting for other predictors. The absence of soap in hand-washing facilities was associated with higher odds of having a diarrhea episode among children U5 in Lao PDR.

Keywords: children; hand-washing; soap; diarrhea; household; Laos (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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