Comparative Evaluation of Respiratory Infections among Rural and Urban Child Patients

Background: Acute respiratory infections are infections of any portion of respiratory tract or any linked structures like pleural cavity, para nasal sinuses and middle ear. It comprises of a new means occurring in any subject who has been symptom free for at least 48 hours and the infections are less than 30 days duration except for that of the middle ear where the duration is less than 14 days. The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the incidence of respiratory tract infections amongst children of rural and urban areas. Materials and methods: The present prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of pediatrics for a period of 4 months. The questionnaire had information regarding the lifestyle and habits of parents. The level of maternal education was taken into consideration.  Modified prasad’s classification was used to socially classify the subjects. Chi square test and student t test was used to perform the statistical analysis. Probability value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The present study 320 subjects out of which there were 73 subjects who had acute respiratory infection. There were 47% (n=16) males and 53% (n=18) females between 0-1 years of age. Acute respiratory infection was seen amongst 27 urban children and 46 rural children. There was significant difference between the two. Out of the children living in urban suburbs, there were 7.4% who belonged to social class I, 11.1% belonging to class II, 18.5% belonging to class II, 29.6% to Class IV and 33.3% to class V. Conclusion: From the above study we can conclude that ARI is more common amongst children residing in rural areas.