Home Management Of Childhood Diarrhea Including Zinc Supplements Among Mothers Attending Primary Health Centers In An Urban Community In Lagos
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Date
2016
Authors
Olatona, F.A.
Obrutu, O.E.
Adeniyi, O.F.
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Abstract
Background
Diarrhoea has been reported to account for more childhood deaths than Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), malaria, and measles combined. This study determined knowledge and practices of home management of childhood diarrhea including zinc supplements among mothers of under-five children attending Primary Health Centers in an urban community in Lagos.
Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 253 mothers of under-five children attending primary health centers in Ojodu community in Lagos. Three out of the five primary health centers in the community were selected using simple random sampling. All mothers of children below five years of age attending the selected health centers were included in the study until the sample size was attained. Data was obtained from the mothers with the aid of interviewer-administered structured questionnaires and analyzed using the Epi-info version 6 software. The significance level was set as < 0.05.
Results: Diarrhoea was correctly defined by 60.1% of respondents. Most of them (72.4%) knew that unsafe water and contaminated food could cause diarrhea while others attributed it to wrong causes. Most of them (83.4%) knew that oral rehydration solution (ORS) should be used in the home management of diarrhea but only 4.3% knew the importance of zinc supplements in its management. Only 28% of the respondents had a high level of overall knowledge of oral rehydration therapy (ORT). ORT knowledge was significantly associated with older age (p=0.0002), higher educational status (p=0.000), source of information (p=0.000), and previous history of diarrhea in the children. Only 44.3% (112) had used ORS for children with diarrhea while only 34.1% and 51.0% of those who had used pre-packaged ORS and salt sugar solution prepared it correctly respectively. Major constraints to the utilization of ORT were taste and inadequate information. The use of zinc supplements was employed by only 5.4% of those who practiced ORT.
Conclusion: knowledge and correct use of ORT and zinc supplements were low. Campaign for the correct use of low-osmolality ORS and zinc supplements should be intensified.
Description
Scholarly articles
Keywords
Oral rehydration therapy , zinc supplements , childhood diarrhoea , mothers of under five , under five children , Research Subject Categories::MEDICINE::Social medicine
Citation
Olatona F. A., Obrutu O.E. Adeniyi O.F. Home Management Of Childhood Diarrhea Including Zinc Supplements Among Mothers Attending Primary Health Centers In An Urban Community In Lagos. The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences. 2016. 23(2): 23-30