Evidence of malnutrition having a threshold effect on the risk of childhood diarrhoea in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVE

Diarrhoeal disease is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in Zimbabwe. This paper examines the relationship between diarrhoea and malnutrition to determine whether there is a threshold effect in operation.

DESIGN

Multivariate analysis of a retrospective survey.

SETTING/SUBJECTS: Using a nationally representative sample, the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, 1994, collected diarrhoeal, anthropometric and socio-economic data for 2,073 children aged 0 to 35 months.

RESULTS

Age of the child, residence, and severe stunting and wasting were found to be significant predictors of childhood diarrhoea. However, moderate stunting and wasting failed to show any relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate malnutrition is the main nutritional complaint in Zimbabwe. Thus malnutrition may have a relatively small role in determining the prevalence of childhood diarrhoea. Instead, factors related to exposure--namely sanitation, water supply, population density and hygiene--may be more important. Consequently supplementary feeding programmes should work in tandem with initiatives to reduce exposure if the morbidity burden of children is to be reduced.