ABSTRACT
Introduction: Diarrhoea is the fourth leading cause of death among children under five in the world with the highest number of deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, diarrhoea is number six among the top ten causes of under five years’ morbidity and mortality. Apo resettlement has witnessed a constant increase in diarrhoea cases among under five in the last three years. It is therefore important to identify factors associated with the increasing number of diarrhoea cases to revert the trend.
Objectives: This study was set out to estimate diarrhoea prevalence and identify factors associated with the increasing cases of diarrhoea among children under five years in Apo resettlement.
Method: A cross sectional study was conducted with the aid of a structured questionnaire developed in English and translated in Luo language. A total of 812 mothers/caregivers were randomly sampled from the population within the district using multistage sampling technique. Modified Poisson Regression method with cluster robust standard errors for univariable and multivariable analysis was used. The outputs are stated in prevalence rate ratios (PRR), 95% confidence intervals (CI) and P-values. Variable Inflated Factor (VIF) was used to assess for multicollinearity among the factors at multivariable analysis.
Results: The prevalence of diarrhoea in Apo resettlement within two weeks prior to the survey was 40.8%. The study noted that 22.7% of the mothers did not give any liquid and 17.8% did not give food to their children with diarrhoea, an indication of a knowledge gap in diarrhoea management practices. The number of under five children in a household was statistically associated with diarrhoea. The prevalence of childhood diarrhoea was 17% less in households with one child compared to households with three or more children under five (P
0.046 – 0.312). Other factors associated with diarrhoea in children under five in Apo resettlement includes; open defecation, distance to water point and health education on diarrhoea management and prevention. Childhood diarrhoea was 33% less in households who defecates in latrines compared to households who defecates in open (P
Conclusion: The prevalence of diarrhoea in Agago was still high (40.8%) compared to the national prevalence rate (20%). This study underscores the importance of mothers’ knowledge on diarrhoea prevention and management, having few number of under five children in a household, proper disposal of faeces, and distance to water source as measures to prevent diarrhoea. Government and other stakeholders should therefore strengthen the provision of health education services, increase access to safe water sources by drilling more boreholes and implement Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) to revert the trend of diarrhoea in the district.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND