Gender disparity in care-seeking behaviours and treatment outcomes for dehydrating diarrhoea among under-5 children admitted to a diarrhoeal disease hospital in Bangladesh: an analysis of hospital-based surveillance data

INTRODUCTION: Despite economic development and augmented literacy rates, Bangladeshi households are still discriminating against girls when it comes to seeking medical care. We examined gender disparities in diarrhoeal disease severity and the treatment outcomes of under-5 children. SETTING: A tertiary level diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS: 13 361 under-5 children admitted to the hospital between January 2008 and December 2017. OUTCOME VARIABLES AND METHODS: The primary outcome of interest was severity of diarrhoea, defined as 'dehydrating diarrhoea' or 'non-dehydrating diarrhoea'. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between 'gender' and admission to hospital for dehydrating diarrhoea. RESULTS: Data on 13 321 children under 5 years of age were analysed, of whom 61.5% were male and…