MORBIDITY PROFILE AND RISK FACTORS AMONG UNDER-FIVES AND HEALTH CARE SEEKING BEHAVIOURS OFTHEIR PARENTS

The present study investigated the morbidity profile and its risk factors amongunder-fivesand the health care seeking behavioursof their parents in a selectedPanchayat,Ernakulam.Theobjectivesofthestudyweretoassessthemorbidityprofileand its risk factors among under-fives and health care seeking behaviours of parentsand to find the association between morbidity and selected demographic variables andselectedriskfactors.Across-sectionalcommunity-baseddescriptivesurveydesignwasemployed.Thesamplewereselectedusingconveniencesamplingtechnique.Thetoolsweremorbidityprofileassessmentchecklist,riskfactorassessmentchecklistandhealthcare seeking behaviour checklist tool. The findings showed that 81% children hadmorbidityand19%hadnomorbidity.Themost commonmorbidconditionswerecoldand running nose (76%),followed by cough (73%),fever (64%) and hand foot andmouth disease(8%).With regard to a risk factors leading to morbidity, 27% were notgiven exclusive breast feeding, 25% did not start complimentary feeding at the end ofsix months, 14% did not wash their hands before feeding the children, 28% had nofamily history of respiratory tract infection, 20% had no proper ventilation at home,34% had no proper waste disposal, 67% were exposed to passive smoking, 52% ofchildrenweregoingtoAnganwadiand4%hadcongenitaldisorders.Presentstudyalsoshowsthat52%ofmothersreliedonallopathicsectorandequalpercentage(12%)usedAyurvedaandprevious medicationand14%madeuseofhomeremedyduringdiseaseconditions of their children. The findings also showed that there was no associationbetweenmorbidityandselecteddemographicvariables.Thefindingsshowedtherewasassociation between morbidity and using boiled water for drinking (p = 0.038), familyhistoryofrespiratory infections(p=0.05),child goingto day-care/Anganwadi.