Compound hygiene, presence of standpipe and the risk of childhood diarrhoea in an urban settlement of Papua New Guinea.

Children below five years of age residing in an urban settlement of Papua New Guinea were monitored from May 1987 to July 1988 in an attempt to identify aetiological factors of childhood diarrhoea. Presence of faeces in the compound was associated with a 48% increase (incidence density ratio (IDR) = 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.163-1.897) in diarrhoea morbidity whilst the presence of pigs in the compound was associated with a 69% increase (IDR = 1.694, 95% CI:1.317-2.189). The presence of a standpipe in the compound was associated with a reduction in diarrhoea morbidity of 56%. The effect of presence of faeces, animals, and standpipe on the incidence of diarrhoea was not dependent on whether or not mothers were literate. We conclude that any intervention aimed at these factors is likely to reduce diarrhoea morbidity in similar urban ecosystems.