Geospatial analysis and hotspots of diarrheal cases among under-five children within a rural district of Karnataka, India

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Diarrhea is a significant public health problem, resulting in nearly 16% of child deaths below the age of five, globally. This study was undertaken to find the relation between geographical variance in diarrheal prevalence and spatial dependence among under-five children of Karkala taluk of Karnataka State, India, between 2015 to 2018.   Materials and Methods: Data on registered diarrheal cases among under-five children between April 2015 and March 2018was obtained from the State Department of Health and Family Welfare. The thematic maps were prepared for the study area using data available at the village level. The GeoDa software was used to carry out spatial data analysis and spatial autocorrelation. Spatial dependence was analyzed through the Global Moran's Index and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA).   Results: Three thousand eight hundred ninety-four under-five children were recorded with diarrhea in Karkala taluk with a mean annual rate of 123.6/1000 diarrheal cases. There was an increase in diarrheal incidence during the study period with peak trends being seasonal. Global and Local spatial correlation analysis detected several hot and cold spot clusters among villages in Karkala taluk.   Conclusion: Diarrheal incidence among under-five children is highly seasonal and spatially clustered. The spatial analysis helps decide preventive measures for identified clusters and determines the observed heterogeneity of diarrheal infection.