DOES SUBOPTIMAL HOUSEHOLD FLOORING INCREASE THE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD DIARRHEA IN THE CASE OF PAKISTAN?

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.