title: Management of childhood diarrhoea at the household level: a population-based survey in north-east Brazil.
abstract: The management of childhood diarrhoea at the household level was studied in a population-based survey in four states in north-east Brazil. Of a representative sample of 6524 children under 5 years of age, 982 (15.1%) had diarrhoea on the day of the interview or had had diarrhoea at some time during the previous 15 days. A total of 66% of the children were not taken for treatment, while government health services were used by 14%, private doctors by 1%, and traditional healers (rezadeiras) by 24%. Oral rehydration therapy was given to 24.3% of the children as follows: solutions of oral rehydration salts (ORS) were received by 6.8%, salt-and-sugar solutions by 14.7%, and solutions of commercial ORS brands by 4.3%. Although 95% of the caretakers knew about rehydration solutions, only 18% prepared them correctly, the most common error being the use of insufficient water. Of the rehydration solutions used, 39% had a sodium concentration that was potentially dangerous (greater than 120 mmol/l), and 8% had a sodium concentration that was very low. Of those solutions prepared using ORS, 38% had too high a sodium concentration, while 14% of the salt-and-sugar solutions prepared using either the "scoop-and-pinch" approach or a plastic spoon were too concentrated. However, potentially the most dangerous were the salt-and-sugar solutions prepared using nonstandard recipes. More than half of these had an unacceptably high sodium concentration or osmolarity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Victora
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Maranhão
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stegeman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Richmond
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Neuman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McAuliffe
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Branco
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000628:therapy*; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015532:Rehydration Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D015532:Rehydration Solutions