Epidemiology of childhood diseases in an urban resettlement colony in Delhi

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence and determinants of childhood diseases which are covered under IMNCI in an urban resettlement colony in Delhi.Materials and methodsA community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Gokulpuri area in Delhi from January to December 2014 among 550 mothers/caretakers who were residing in the study area and selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire consisting of items on socio-demographic details and history of acute respiratory infections (ARI), diarrhoea, measles and malaria in the past 15 days. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 17. Chi-square test/Fisher's exact test was used for testing any significance of association and “p” value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe study showed that 282 (51.2%) children were 1-5 years old and 290 (52.7%) were male. Prevalence of ARI was found to be 16% followed by diarrhoea to be 4.2% in the last 15 days. There was no case of measles in the area. 123 (22.3%) were found to be moderately malnourished. Prevalence of ARI was significantly less in exclusively breastfed children compared to not exclusively breastfed children (p = 0.002). For other childhood diseases, the difference was not statistically significant.ConclusionThe childhood diseases had a considerable burden in the area. Protective factors like colostrum and exclusive breastfeeding should be promoted by raising awareness among caregivers. Intensive health education campaigns should be carried out in the area to prevent childhood diseases.