Association between sociodemographic factors and diarrhea in children under 5 years in Rwanda

Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children under 5 years old world-wide, and is the most common cause of malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. In Rwanda, diarrhea is the third leading cause of death in children under 5 years old. This study examined the association between sociodemographic factors and diarrhea in children under 5 years using the data of 7,474 households in the 2014-2015 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey. Overall prevalence of diarrhea in this study was 12.7% in children. An increased risk for diarrhea was found for children aged 12-23 months (odds ratio (OR)=4.514), those with a low economic status (OR=1.64), those from the West-ern province (OR=1.439), those with poorly-educated mothers (OR= 5.163), and those with families engaged in agricul-tural activities (OR=1.624). In conclusion, sociodemographic factors significantly affect the risk of developing diarrhea in children under 5 years in Rwanda. Designing and implementing health education promoting awareness of early interven-tions and rotavirus vaccination are essential to reduce diarrheal diseases for the Rwandan community.