Spatial clusters and determinants of the high incidence of diarrhea in children

Abstract

Diarrhea is a sickness that typically affects toddlers and can cause severe dehydration and death if not treated immediately and effectively. Diarrhea cases in children under five are still highly prevalent in West Java, particularly in regions with poor access to sanitary facilities and clean water. The purpose of this study is to identify the spatial clusters and contributing variables associated with the high rate of diarrhea in children under five in West Java. The method used in this research is Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression (GWPR) which considers geographical location in the analysis. The study revealed that several factors have a significant impact on the number of diarrhea cases among children under five in West Java. These include the percentage of clean and healthy living behaviors, access to adequate sanitation, poverty level, population density, percentage of infants under six months of age exclusively breastfed, percentage of complete basic immunization, ratio of public health center facilities, and the ratio of general practitioners. Detection results using Flexibility Shaped Spatial Scan Statistics show that there are several areas that require special priority treatment, namely Cirebon City, Bogor Regency, Cianjur Regency, Bandung Regency, Garut Regency, Subang Regency, Bogor City, Depok City and Cimahi City.