Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Estimating child mortality due to diarrhoea in developing countries

Cynthia Boschi-Pinto, Lana Velebit, Kenji Shibuya

Volume 86, Number 9, September 2008, 710-717

Table 1. Main characteristics of the studies included in the analysis

Reference Country Site WHO subregiona Period of studyb No. of under-5 deaths Proportion of diarrhoea deathsc(%)
28 Sierra Leone Rural areas of the districts of western Area and Porto Loko AFR D 1988–93 251 12.7
29 Liberia Robertsport and Bomi – urban areas;Grand Mountain and part of Lofa counties – rural areas AFR D 1984–85 414 13.7
29 Liberia Robertsport and Bomi – urban areas;Grand Mountain and part of Lofa counties – rural areas AFR D 1986–88 491 12.1
30 Gambia Upper River Division – rural area AFR D 1988–89 856 18.0
31 Senegal Pikine-Guédiawaye – urban suburb of Dakar AFR D 1983 42 26.2
32 Ghana Kassena-Nankana District AFR D 1989–91 685 29.7
33 Gambia Rural area AFR D 1982 150 16.3
34 Gambia Rural area AFR D 1984–86 171 15.8
34 Gambia Rural area AFR D 1985 316 26.7
35 Gambia Upper River Division – rural area AFR D 1989–93 3 776 9.3
36 Nigeria Akoko North AFR D 1987 120 32.5
37 Guinea-Bissau Bandim – urban area AFR D 1987–90 153 32.2
38 Senegal Mlomp – rural area in Ziguinchor region AFR D 1987 69 20.3
39 Senegal Niakhar district AFR D 1986 1 517 35.0
40 Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu – rural area AFR E 1986–87 358 8.4
41 Burundi Nyanza-Lac district – rural area AFR E 1990–91 160 19.7
42 Central African Republic Bangui city – urban area AFR E 1983 188 19.1
43 South Africa Rural area AFR E 1994 156 38.9
44 United Republic of Tanzania Bagamoyo district – rural area AFR E 1983–84 325 16.9
44 United Republic of Tanzania Bagamoyo district – rural area AFR E 1985 347 12.7
45 United Republic of Tanzania Bagamoyo district – rural area AFR E 1987 596 14.8
46 Ethiopia Butajira district – rural lowlands and highlands; urban highland AFR E 1988 436 8.7
47 Zambia Lusaka – Lima Ward AFR E 1985 26 18.2
48 Mexico Nationally representative AMR B 1990 85 957 16.3
48 Mexico Nationally representative AMR B 1993 50 492 12.8
49 Brazil S. Paulo, metropolitan area – urban area AMR B 1980–82 … 11.7
49 Brazil S. Paulo, metropolitan area – urban area AMR B 1996–98 … 4.6
50 Brazil Trairi, Ceará – rural area AMR B 1984–85 101 32.0
51 Brazil Ceará – three municipalities in rural areas AMR B 1993–94 215 39.1
52 Brazil Pelotas city – urban area AMR B 1982–83 244 11.9
53 Brazil S. Luis capital city, Maranhão – three urban areas AMR B 1989 32 44.0
53 Brazil S. Luis capital city, Maranhão – three urban areas AMR B 1986 92 46.0
54 Brazil Pelotas city – urban area AMR B 1985 29 20.0
55 Brazil State of Rio Grande do Sul – two-thirds of urban population AMR B 1976 40 219 14.7
56 Brazil Pelotas city – urban area AMR B 1983 215 10.6
57 Somalia Two rural communities EMR D 1988 88 27.5
58 Pakistan Abbottabad district – rural area EMR D 1986 46 23.9
59 Egypt Menoufia governorate – rural area EMR D 1980 174 47.7
60 Indonesia Banyuasin district – five villages in rural area SEAR B 1983 51 21.6
61 India Ballabgarth, Haryana state – rural area SEAR D 1982–84 385 29.1
61 India Ballabgarth, Haryana state – rural area SEAR D 1992–94 221 25.3
62 India Lucknow – urban slums SEAR D 1993–94 71 18.3
63 India Gadchiroli district – rural area SEAR D 1988–89 161 11.1
64 India Jawan – nine villages in rural area SEAR D 1989 64 30.4
39 India Ballabgarh – rural area SEAR D 1989 811 18.0
65 Bangladesh Nationally representative SEAR D 1989–93 828 14.7
66 Bangladesh Nationally representative SEAR D 1992–96 678 15.5
67 Bangladesh Matlab – rural area SEAR D 1982–83 926 9.9
68 Bangladesh Matlab – rural community SEAR D 1975–77 7 858 26.7
69 Bangladesh Matlab – rural community SEAR D 1986–87 1 354 51.1
70 India Trichy district SEAR D 1985 80 41.8
71 Nepal Jumla district – mountainous rural area SEAR D 1988 2 101 42.2
72 India Rural area of Haryana SEAR D 1986 281 19.9
73 India Six rural and three urban areas representing eight major states SEAR D 1984 241 30.8
39 Bangladesh Matlab – rural area SEAR D 1989 1 573 15.0
74 China Guizhou province – three counties in a remote mountainous province WPR B 1986 3 075 10.0

AFR, WHO African Region; AMR, WHO Region of the Americas; EMR, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region; SEAR, WHO South-East Asia Region; WPR, Western Pacific Region.a WHO subregions are defined on the basis of levels of child and adult mortality: A, very low child and very low adult mortality; B, low child and low adult mortality; C, low child and high adult mortality; D, high child and high adult mortality; E, high child and very high adult mortality.b Some studies did not report mid-year of study and those have been either informed by contacting authors or approximately estimated from other available information in the study.c Proportion of diarrhoea deaths adjusted for age 0–59 months.