Abstract:
Diarrheal diseases still remain a leading factor behind child mortality in Pakistan. Children
residing in households having unimproved sanitation and water facility, suffer more from
diarrheal illness; inadequate access to clean water and poor sanitation facility are implied as
transmission routes of diarrheal pathogens. One of the important pathways that has not been
well investigated in Pakistan is household floor that carries significant fecal contamination. For
this purpose, present research assesses the impact of household flooring on the incidence of
diarrhea among children aged 6-59 months using Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey
(2017-2018). The results of multilevel multivariable logistic regression revealed that improved
household flooring leads to substantial reduction of childhood diarrhea. Also, well-educated
mothers through better hygiene and correct dietary practices reduce diarrheal illness among
children even in unhygienic environment. In addition to this, it was also revealed that improving
sanitation/water facility in the household having sub-optimal flooring makes children less
susceptible to diarrheal illness, but more reduction can be observed if household flooring
material along with sanitation/water facility are improved.
Multilevel logistic regression also confirmed that most of the variation in diarrhea occurs at the
household level. Therefore, policy focused on the household level factors will lower the likelihood
of diarrhea and subsequently improve the health of a child.
