Assessing awareness of caregivers towards home management of diarrhea among children under five years at Dr. Ronald Batta Memorial Hospital, Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso district. A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Background:

 Diarrhea, especially among the under-fives, is a matter of public health importance globally, given the annual morbidity and mortality it causes to this vulnerable age group. This study assessed awareness of caregivers towards home management of diarrhea among children under five years at Dr. Ronald Batta Memorial Hospital, Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District.

 Methods:

A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 30 respondents who were caregivers of children under five years who presented at the health facility for medical attention was recruited. A simple random sampling procedure was used to select the respondents, and a researcher-administered questionnaire was used for collecting data. Collected data was sorted, coded, entered into Epidata, and then exported to SPSS for analysis. The analysed data were presented in figures and tables reflecting frequencies and percentages.

 Results:

The study involved 30 caregivers, the majority female (70%) and aged 20–30 years (57%). Most were married (67%) and had secondary education (67%), with half employed as casual workers. Regarding knowledge of diarrhea, 87% recognized predisposing factors, mainly contaminated food and water (69%). Only 43% had received information, primarily from media (46%) and health facilities (31%). All children had experienced diarrhea, but 57% were not managed at home; those managed received ORS (77%), zinc (77%), and fruits (69%). Caregivers largely knew to seek medical care when conditions worsened (67%) and identified hygiene and handwashing as preventive measures (80%). Treatment knowledge included herbal remedies (31.2%), anti-diarrheals (26.2%), and ORS (21.3%), yet 53% did not know ORS preparation, and 57% were unaware of administration frequency.

 Conclusion:

The Majority of caregivers had inadequate knowledge of home management of diarrhea among children under five years.

 Recommendation:

The government should support community sensitization programs on diarrheal infection and their home management among children under five years.