Diarrhea among children under five in Myanmar: a systematic review

Abstract

Eighteen percent of deaths among children under five in Myanmar are due to diarrheal diseases even though diarrheal diseases can be prevented. The purpose of this article is to perform a systematic review of diarrhea prevention and treatment efforts among children under five in Myanmar. A systematic literature review was conducted using the databases of PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Search terms included: Myanmar, Burma, diarrhea, and children. Articles were limited from 2000 to 2016. Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Results indicate that although individuals in Myanmar have high levels of knowledge regarding prevention of diarrheal diseases, social determinants of health and cultural factors encourage the spread of diarrheal diseases. Social determinants of health include disparities due to geography, education, and economics. Cultural factors such as strong allegiances to norms viewing latrines as uncustomary can promote diarrheal diseases. There is a need for interventions designed to address social determinants of health in order to enhance diarrhea prevention and treatment efforts and reduce the under-five mortality in Myanmar.