Effects of environmental factors on child survival in Bangladesh: a case control study.

ABSTRACT

PIP: Findings are reported from a case-control study conducted to assess the associations between several social and environmental variables and deaths of children due to infectious diseases, such as those leading to diarrhea, acute respiratory infection (ARI), measles, and other diseases. 625 deaths (cases) and an equal number of matched living children (controls) aged 1-59 months were studied in rural Matlab. Sources of drinking water, the amount of stored water, latrine conditions, the number of persons sleeping with the child, and the type of cooking site were statistically significantly associated with deaths due to infectious diseases after controlling for breast-feeding, immunization, and family size. Significant associations were also observed between sources of drinking water and deaths due to ARI, and conditions of latrines and deaths due to diarrheal diseases, after controlling for confounding variables. No other statistically significant environmental factors were associated with these various death groups. Study results confirm the importance of environmental health interventions in child survival, irrespective of breast-feeding, immunization, and selected social variables.