Exploring spatial dependencies in the prevalence of childhood diarrhea in Mozambique using global and local measures of spatial autocorrelation

Background: Diarrhea in children under 5 years is generally considered as an important public health problem and the major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to present exploratory spatial data analyses to identify spatial clusters and outliers in the prevalence of childhood diarrhea in Mozambique. Methods: Using data from 2011 Mozambique Demographic and Health Survey, we calculated the prevalence of childhood diarrhea on the district level. Two exploratory spatial data analyses methods were applied, namely, global and local Moran’s I statistics, providing spatial autocorrelation and spatial clusters/outlier in the prevalence of childhood diarrhea, respectively. Results: Choropleth mapping and global Moran’s I statistics showed that the prevalence of childhood diarrhea has clustered distribution across the study area. A local Moran’s I index revealed spatial clusters within the province of Tete, Gaza, Cabo Delgado, and Zambezia. However, spatial outliers were confined within Sofala province. Conclusion: The exploratory spatial data analyses showed various spatial clustering and outliers present in the prevalence of childhood diarrhea, indicating interventions needed in targeted regions.