Risk Factors Associated with Diarrheal Episodes in an Agricultural Community in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam: A Prospective Cohort Study

Hanako Iwashita, Asako Tokizawa, Vu Dinh Thiem, Taichiro Takemura, Tuan Hai Nguyen, Hang Thi Doan, Anh Hong Quynh Pham, Na Ly Tran and Tetsu Yamashiro
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Hanako Iwashita: Department of International Affairs and Tropical Medicine, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan
Asako Tokizawa: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
Vu Dinh Thiem: National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Taichiro Takemura: Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
Tuan Hai Nguyen: National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Hang Thi Doan: VITECH DEVELOPMENT Co., Ltd., Hanoi 700000, Vietnam
Anh Hong Quynh Pham: Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
Na Ly Tran: Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Korea
Tetsu Yamashiro: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: In Vietnam, data on the risk factors for diarrhea at the community level remain sparse. This study aimed to provide an overview of diarrheal diseases in an agricultural community in Vietnam, targeting all age groups. Specifically, we investigated the incidence of diarrheal disease at the community level and described the potential risk factors associated with diarrheal diseases. In this prospective cohort study, a total of 1508 residents were enrolled during the 54-week study period in northern Vietnam. The observed diarrheal incidence per person-year was 0.51 episodes. For children aged <5 years, the incidence per person-year was 0.81 episodes. Unexpectedly, the frequency of diarrhea was significantly higher among participants who used tap water for drinking than among participants who used rainwater. Participants who used a flush toilet had less frequent diarrhea than those who used a pit latrine. The potential risk factors for diarrhea included the source of water used in daily life, drinking water, and type of toilet. However, the direct reason for the association between potential risk factors and diarrhea was not clear. The infection routes of diarrheal pathogens in the environment remain to be investigated at this study site.

Keywords: diarrhea; risk factor; drinking water; toilet; sanitation; infrastructure; prospective study; cohort study; community; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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