The burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in Ontario, Canada, 2005–2006

A retrospective, cross-sectional telephone survey (n=2090) was conducted in Ontario, Canada, between May 2005 and April 2006, to determine the burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in the population. The 4-week prevalence was 8·56% (95% CI 7·36–9·76); in households with more than one resident, 35...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 2008-04, Vol.136 (4), p.451-460
Main Authors: SARGEANT, J. M., MAJOWICZ, S. E., SNELGROVE, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute Disease
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Antibiotics
Binomial distribution
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Confidence intervals
Cost of Illness
Cross-Sectional Studies
Data collection
Demography
Diarrhea
Diseases
Education
Epidemiology
Epidemiology. Vaccinations
Estimates
Family Characteristics
Family income
Feces - microbiology
Female
Gastroenteritis - epidemiology
Gastroenteritis - etiology
Gastroenteritis - microbiology
Gastroenteritis - prevention & control
General aspects
Health care
Humans
Illnesses
Incidence
Industrialized nations
Infections
Infectious diseases
Initiatives
Interviews
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Ontario - epidemiology
Original Papers
Polls & surveys
Population
Prevalence
Public health
Response rates
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Rural areas
Rural Population
Sample size
Seasons
Sex Factors
Studies
Telephone numbers
Telephones
Vomiting
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Description
Summary:A retrospective, cross-sectional telephone survey (n=2090) was conducted in Ontario, Canada, between May 2005 and April 2006, to determine the burden of acute gastrointestinal illness in the population. The 4-week prevalence was 8·56% (95% CI 7·36–9·76); in households with more than one resident, 35% of cases reported someone else in their household had similar symptoms at the same time. The annual adjusted incidence rate was 1·17 (95% CI 0·99–1·35) episodes per person-year, with higher rates in females, rural residents, and in the winter and spring. Health care was sought by 22% of cases, of which 33% were asked to provide a stool sample. Interestingly, 2·2% of cases who did not visit a health-care provider reported self-administering antibiotics. Overall, acute gastrointestinal illness appears to pose a significant burden in the Ontario population. Further research into the specific aetiologies and risk factors is now needed to better target intervention strategies.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268807008837