Diarrhoea episodes and treatment-seeking behaviour in a slum area of North Jakarta, Indonesia.
Visits to household during a census in an impoverished area of north Jakarta were used for exploring the four-week prevalence of diarrhoea, factors associated with episodes of diarrhoea, and the patterns of healthcare use. For 160,261 urban slum-dwellers, information was collected on the socioeconomic status of the household and on diarrhoea episodes of individual household residents in the preceding four weeks. In households with a reported case of diarrhoea, the household head was asked which form of healthcare was used first. In total, 8,074 individuals (5%)--13% of children aged less than five years and 4% of adults--had a diarrhoea episode in the preceding four weeks. The two strongest factors associated with a history of diarrhoea were a diarrhoea episode in another household member in the four weeks preceding the interview (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 11.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.4-11.8) and age less than five years (adjusted OR 3.4; 95% CI 3.2-3.5). Of the 8,074 diarrhoea cases, 1,969 (25%) treated themselves, 1,822 (23%) visited a public-health centre (PHC), 1,462 (18%) visited a private practitioner or a private clinic, 1,318 (16%) presented at a hospital, 753 (9%) bought drugs from a drug vendor, and 750 (9%) used other healthcare providers, such as belian (traditional healers). Children with diarrhoea were most often brought to a PHC, a private clinic, or a hospital for treatment. Compared to children, adults with diarrhoea were more likely to treat themselves. Individuals from households in the lowest-income group were significantly more likely to attend a PHC for treatment of diarrhoea compared to individuals from households in the middle- and higher-income groups.
National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Cyrus H
CH
Simanjuntak
Narain H
NH
Punjabi
Ferry
F
Wangsasaputra
Dazwir
D
Nurdin
Sri Pandam
SP
Pulungsih
Ainur
A
Rofiq
Hari
H
Santoso
H
H
Pujarwoto
Agus
A
Sjahrurachman
Pratiwi
P
Sudarmono
Lorenz
L
von Seidlein
Camilo
C
Acosta
Susan E
SE
Robertson
Mohammad
M
Ali
Hyejon
H
Lee
JinKyung
J
Park
Jacqueline L
JL
Deen
Magdarina D
MD
Agtini
John D
JD
Clemens
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011204:Poverty Areas; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class