14th ICID - Poster Abstracts - International Society for Infectious ...

When citing these abstracts please use the following reference:
Author(s) of abstract. Title of abstract [abstract]. Int J Infect Dis 2010;14S1: Abstract number.
Please note that the official publication of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases 2010, Volume 14, Supplement 1
is available electronically on http://www.sciencedirect.com
Final Abstract Number: 81.006
Session: Public Health Interventions, Modeling & Training
Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Time: 12:30-13:30
Room: Poster & Exhibition Area/Ground Level
Type: Poster Presentation
Medical needs assessment and infectious diseases concerns in rural Honduras - Implications for
medical relief planning
M. P. Stevens 1 , K. Elam 1 , L. F. Stevens 1 , S. Shodhan 1 , D. Markley 1 , R. Hemrajani 1 , K. Sanogo 1 ,
G. Bearman 2
1 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va, USA, 2 Richmond, VA, USA
Background: Socio-environmental conditions vary across rural Honduras. As medical relief
missions target rural communities, planning should focus on highly prevalent concerns. We
assessed the needs and disease perceptions of people in the Department of Yoro area of rural
Honduras
Methods: A needs assessment survey was administered in June 2008 in the Department of Yoro
area of Honduras. The survey consisted of 29 multiple-choice questions that collected data on
demographic information, environmental health pressures such as home environment, access to
clean water and sanitation. The survey also assessed access to healthcare and the top 3
perceived critical issues affecting health. Surveys were randomly administered at multiple clinic
sites. Surveys were voluntary, anonymous and in Spanish. A descriptive analysis of the
responses was performed. The association between concern for infectious diseases and socioenvironmental
factors was explored. The Chi-square test was employed for statistical
significance.
Results: 70 surveys were collected. The mean age was 38. Twenty-one men and 49 women
completed the survey. Only 8% of the respondents had completed 12 years of education. Thirtyeight
(54%) were employed. The average number of adults living in a given home was 4.4. Fortyeight
(69%) of respondents obtained their water from plumbing, with 14 (20%) reporting no
purification treatment of water. Forty-seven percent of respondents used outhouses or latrines.
Thirty-nine (56%) reported the presence of farm animals within their home. Sixteen percent of
homes were constructed with adobe and 39% of all homes had dirt floors. The most common
healthcare concerns were water sanitation (19, 32%), nutrition (19, 32%), infectious diseases (18,
31%) and access to doctors and medications (18, 31%). There was no statistically significant
association between concern for infectious diseases and crowded household (>4 people/house)
(p=0.90), dirt flooring (p=0.48) or the presence of farm animals in the home (p-0.48).
Conclusion: Despite differences in socio-environmental factors in rural Honduras, the principal
health concerns were water sanitation, nutrition, infectious diseases and access to doctors and
medications. There were no associations between infectious diseases concerns and socioenvironmental
factors. Medical relief missions to rural Honduras should anticipate widespread
infectious diseases related concerns and should prepare accordingly.