Knowledge and practice of mothers/caregivers on home management of diarrhea in under five children in Mareka District, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Diarrhea is defined as the passage of unusually loose or watery stool at least three times in a 24-hur period. The vast majority (78%) of deaths from diarrhea are among children under 5 years of age, living in low and middle income countries. Early and correct identification of diseases and prompt initiation of management plays a key role in reducing diarrhea related mortality. However, available studies provided inadequate information on knowledge and practice of mothers/caregivers on home management of childhood diarrhea. Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of mothers/caregivers on home management of diarrhea in under-five children in Mareka district, Dawuro zone, SNNPR. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was employed from march 1-30, 2015. Multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used to select subjects to be included in the study. Data were collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaire. The main contents of the questionnaire were socio-demographic information, information on knowledge and practice on diarrhea management at home. Data were entered using EpiData software version 3.1 and exported to and analyzed by sing statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 16.0. Results: Out of 654 mothers/caregivers ho participated in the study, 265 (40.5%) mothers/caregivers said that their children had an episode of diarrhea during the last two weeks. The level of knowledge among respondents on home management of diarrhea was found to be good in 438 (67%) respondents and poor in 216 (33%) respondents, respectively. But the level of practice on home management of diarrhea among respondents was good in 309 (47.2%) respondents and poor in 345 (52.8%) respondents, respectively. Only 50 (37.6%) respondents were aware about the correct amount of ingredients of homemade ORS (salt-sugar solution). One hundred ninety four respondents supported diet withdrawal during episodes of diarrhea in their children. Mothers educational level, secondary and above [AOR=3.280; 95% CI (1.281,8.390)], mothers of male index child [AOR=2.508; 95% CI (1.721, 3.656) and mothers residence in urban areas [AOR= 21.282; 95%CI (5.937, 36.279) were significantly associated with mothers' practice on home management of diarrhea in children. Conclusion: Despite the high rate of diarrhea among under-fives in this community, there is a wide gap in the knowledge and practice of mothers regarding home based management of diarrhea. Therefore, strategies to increase awareness and practice of mothers on home management of diarrhea are needed.