SOCIO-ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF DIARRHOEAL MORBIDITY AND ITS TREATMENT AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN IN NORTH-EAST INDIA

Short Abstract
Although there are declining trends, both in the diarrhea incidents and child mortality in North-East region of India, but Diarrheal incidents still prevail in high rate among younger children. This paper finds that despite treatments are available for diarrhea and it has been universalized in North-East India, 30 percent children remains without the any treatments.
The study indicates that use of oral rehydration is also declining, in reported period despite that mothers are well aware the ORS treatment but not the effectiveness of the ORS. Secondly, level of mother education and initiation of breast feeding has shown statistically significant influence on treatment of diarrhea. Thirdly, surprisingly sanitation facilities and source of drinking water were did not show any significant association with prevalence of diarrhea as expected, but sanitation facilities show negative relation with prevalence of diarrhea. Fourthly, in the case of treatment most of the socio-economic variables have shown statistical significant viz. level of mother education, age of children, wealth index, ethnicity, religion etc. Finally, shortfall of health worker is very high and people often face scarcity of medicine in government dispensary, which compels the people to buy medicine from private pharmacy.