A Study to Investigate the Prevalence of Nappy Rash among Babies Aged 0 to 36 Months Old in a Tropical Country

Objective: This survey based study was designed to determine various factors which affect the prevalence of nappy rash among babies aged 0 to 36 months in a tropical country, ‘Mauritius'. Methods: A total of 400 mother/baby pairs were randomly selected and interviewed with the help of a questionnaire. Results: Only 380 pairs were finalized for data analysis and 303 (79.7%) babies were found to have a history of at least one episode of nappy rash, with a peak at the age of 7 to 12 months. The highest prevalence of nappy rash was found among babies who used disposable nappies exclusively. The choice of nappy was affected by household income and number of children per family (p<0.05). Area of residence with high humidity, summer season, early stopping of breast feeding and age of the baby significantly increased the prevalence of nappy rash (p<0.05). Baby girls, use of barrier cream and aeration of nappy area for more than one hour per day were associated with less nappy rash, although the associations were not significant. Conclusion: Nappy rash occur at high prevalence in a tropical country. Parents should be educated on the importance of breast feeding and aeration of nappy area.