Hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age: time and spatial series analysis, Arapiraca, 2010-2021.
- 1Universidade Federal Fluminense Faculdade de Medicina NiteróiRJ Brazil Universidade Federal Fluminense, Faculdade de Medicina, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
- 2Universidade Federal de Alagoas Programa de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem MaceióAL Brazil Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem, Maceió, AL, Brazil.
Abstract
Objective
To analyze the temporal trend and spatial distribution of hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age in Arapiraca, Alagoas, between 2010 and 2021.Methods
This is a time and spatial series analysis of hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age in Arapiraca. The temporal trend in hospitalization rates was assessed using autoregressive linear regression from 2010 to 2019, estimating the average annual percent change (AAPC), the 95% confidence interval (95%CI), and the corresponding p-value. A density map was created to assess spatial distribution using the Kernel density estimator, identifying case clusters between 2017 and 2021.Results
A total of 4,013 hospitalizations were recorded; 59.9% occurred in children under 2 years of age, 57.1% remained hospitalized for 2 to 3 days, and there were 7 deaths. In 2021, hospitalization rates in children under 1 year of age were 4 times higher in the rural area (40.3/1,000 children/year; 95%CI 26.8; 64.7). The trend was increasing for hospitalizations in children under 5 years of age in rural (AAPC 0.56; 95%CI 0.29; 0.83; p-value 0.001) and urban areas (AAPC 0.06; 95%CI 0.02; 0.09; p-value 0.006), and in children aged 1 to 4 years, remaining stationary among those under 1 year of age. Spatial analysis identified clusters of cases in areas of accelerated urbanization.Conclusion
Diarrhea is one of the main causes of hospitalization in childhood, with increasing trends in vulnerable territories, reinforcing the need for health surveillance and planning.
Related
- Factors associated with acute diarrhea among children under five years of age in Sana’a City, Yemen: a facility-based frequency-matched case–control study
- Humidex-related risk of other infectious diarrhea in Anhui, China: a multi-city study on spatial heterogeneity and socioeconomic modifiers
- Etiology and incidence of diarrhea requiring hospitalization in children under 5 years of age in 31 low- and middle-income countries: Findings from the Global Pediatric Diarrhea Surveillance network, 2017–2022
- Factors influencing post-diarrhea growth patterns among children under two years old in rural Bangladesh
- Fecal biomarkers to characterize intestinal inflammation among children with medically attended diarrhea across six low-resource settings: Findings from the Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study
BibTeX
@article{melo2026hospitalizations,
title = {{Hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age: time and spatial series analysis, Arapiraca, 2010-2021.}},
author = {Evandro da Silva Melo and Carla Souza Dos Anjos and Lousanny Caires Rocha Melo and Rafaella Souza Albuquerque},
journal = {Epidemiologia e servicos de saude : revista do Sistema Unico de Saude do Brasil},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1590/s2237-96222026v35e20250725.en},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923021},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age: time and spatial series analysis, Arapiraca, 2010-2021.
AU - Evandro da Silva Melo
AU - Carla Souza Dos Anjos
AU - Lousanny Caires Rocha Melo
AU - Rafaella Souza Albuquerque
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/24
JO - Epidemiologia e servicos de saude : revista do Sistema Unico de Saude do Brasil
DO - 10.1590/s2237-96222026v35e20250725.en
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923021
AB - Objective To analyze the temporal trend and spatial distribution of hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age in Arapiraca, Alagoas, between 2010 and 2021.Methods This is a time and spatial series analysis of hospitalizations for diarrhea in children under 5 years of age in Arapiraca. The temporal trend in hospitalization rates was assessed using autoregressive linear regression from 2010 to 2019, estimating the average annual percent change (AAPC), the 95% confidence interval (95%CI), and the corresponding p-value. A density map was created to assess spatial distribution using the Kernel density estimator, identifying case clusters between 2017 and 2021.Results A total of 4,013 hospitalizations were recorded; 59.9% occurred in children under 2 years of age, 57.1% remained hospitalized for 2 to 3 days, and there were 7 deaths. In 2021, hospitalization rates in children under 1 year of age were 4 times higher in the rural area (40.3/1,000 children/year; 95%CI 26.8; 64.7). The trend was increasing for hospitalizations in children under 5 years of age in rural (AAPC 0.56; 95%CI 0.29; 0.83; p-value 0.001) and urban areas (AAPC 0.06; 95%CI 0.02; 0.09; p-value 0.006), and in children aged 1 to 4 years, remaining stationary among those under 1 year of age. Spatial analysis identified clusters of cases in areas of accelerated urbanization.Conclusion Diarrhea is one of the main causes of hospitalization in childhood, with increasing trends in vulnerable territories, reinforcing the need for health surveillance and planning.
SN - 1679-4974
SN - 2237-9622
ER -