Children < 5 years with diarrhoea receiving oral rehydration therapy (percentage)
Rationale for use
Diarrhoeal diseases remain one of the major causes of mortality among under-fives, accounting for 1.8 million child deaths worldwide, despite all the progress in its management and the undeniable success of the oral rehydration therapy (ORT). Therefore monitoring of the coverage of this very cost-effective intervention is crucial for the monitoring of progress towards the child survival-related Millennium Development Goals and Strategies.
Definition
Proportion of children aged 0–59 months who had diarrhoea in the last 2 weeks and were treated with oral rehydration salts or an appropriate household solution (ORT).
Associated terms
Diarrhoea: according to DHS, the term(s) used for diarrhoea should encompass the expressions used for all forms of diarrhoea, including bloody stools (consistent with dysentery), watery stools, etc. It encompasses the mother's definition as well as the ‘local term(s)’.
Treated: child received an electrolyte solution.
Appropriate household solution: definition may vary between countries.
Data sources
Household surveys such as DHS and MICS.
Methods of estimation
Empirical data.
Disaggregation
By age, location (urban/rural, major regions/provinces), and socioeconomic characteristics (e.g. mother's level of education, wealth quintile).
References
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Childhood morbidity and treatment patterns
Boerma JT, Sommerfelt AE, Rutstein SO. Childhood morbidity and treatment patterns. Demographic and Health Surveys Comparative Studies No 4. Columbia, Institute for Reserve Development/Macro International, 1991. -
How many child deaths can we prevent this year?
Jones G, Steketee RW, Black RE, Bhutta ZA, Morris SS, and the Bellagio Child Survival Study Group. How many child deaths can we prevent this year? Lancet, 2003, 362:65–71. -
Factors associated with trends in infant and child mortality in developing countries during the 1990s
Rutstein SO. Factors associated with trends in infant and child mortality in developing countries during the 1990s. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000, 78:1256–1270. -
Use of oral rehydration therapy in acute watery diarrhoea
Sack DA. Use of oral rehydration therapy in acute watery diarrhoea. Drugs, 1991; 41:566–573. -
Reducing deaths from diarrhoea through oral rehydration therapy
Victora CG, Bryce J Fontaine O, Monasch R. Reducing deaths from diarrhoea through oral rehydration therapy. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000, 78:1246–1255. -
State of the world's children, 2003
UNICEF. State of the world's children, 2003. New York, United Nations Children's Fund, 2003.
Database
Comments
The framework for the discussion and review of child health indicators in the UNICEF/WHO Meeting on Child Survival Survey-based Indicators was the set of prevention and treatment interventions outlined in the Lancet series on child survival. These indicators are usually collected in DHS and MICS surveys; however, the accuracy of reporting in household surveys varies and is likely to be prone to recall bias. Also, seasonal influences related to the prevalence of diarrhoeal disease may affect the results of data collection for this indicator. Therefore, the comparability of results across countries and over time may be affected. Moreover, frequent changes in the definition of this indicator have seriously compromised the ability to reliably assess trends over time.
There are two specific limitations with some of the associated terms of this indicator:
- Discussions have been held on whether treated should be considered when the electrolyte solution was ‘given’, ‘received’, ‘ingested’, or ‘offered’ to the child; and
- Comparability of data on appropriate household solution.