Maternal education and family income as determinants of severe disease following acute diarrhoea in children: a case control study.

In a case-control study among the urban poor of Dhaka, Bangladesh, the association of maternal education and family income with severity of disease due to diarrhoea in children was examined. After adjusting for family income, 7 or more years of school education was associated with 54% reduced risk of severe disease as indicated by the presence of dehydration. Income in the uppermost quartile of this population, independently of maternal education, was associated with 41% reduced risk of severe disease compared to the lowest quartile. In the logistic regression model the effect of maternal education remained high after adjustment for several confounders. Based on the concept that socioeconomic variables operate through a set of proximate variables it is contended that maternal education, independently of economic power, through its impact on disease from acute diarrhoea, favourably influences child survival.