Childhood diarrhoea: assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices among mothers attending the tertiary care hospital - an observational analytical study

Authors

  • Ambrine Ashraf Department of Community Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
  • Mohd Ayaz Bhat Department of Ophthalmology, DHS, Jammu and Kashmir, India
  • Mahrukh . Department of Ophthalmology, DHS, Jammu and Kashmir, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20171352

Keywords:

Childhood diarrhoea, Dehydration, Oral rehydration salt, Oral rehydration therapy

Abstract

Background: Diarrhoea is a major killer of children under-five, accounting for about 8% of deaths. For children aged under-five years, a median of three episodes of diarrhea occur per child-year. Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers of under-five children.

Methods: All mothers of under-five years who attended out-patient department of Pediatrics within the study period were interviewed. A total 200 mothers were assessed regarding the knowledge, attitude and practices towards childhood diarrhoea.

Results: Majority of mothers were aware of the definition and cause of diarrhoea (77% and 55% respectively). On the contrary, knowledge regarding preparation and use of home-made ORS was not known to majority of mothers. Regarding practices of mothers, 100% of mothers were using safe drinking water. However, only 60% and 30% practiced hand-washing after defecation and before handling food respectively.

Conclusions: Mothers need to be encouraged to start ORS before consulting a doctor. Personal and food hygiene practices need to be improved among the study population. 

Author Biography

Ambrine Ashraf, Department of Community Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

community medicine, post graduate

References

World Health Organization, Geneva: Diarrheal disease Fact Sheet No. 330. World Health Organization, 2013.

UNICEF (2013).Committing to child survival: A Promise Renewed, Progress Report, 2013.

WHO (2008).Heath Situation in the South-East Asia Region, 2001-2007.

WHO, UNICEF (2009), Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done.

Mathiazhakan U. A study to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of caregivers of children admitted with diarrhoea at KMCH Hospital, Coimbatore. Int J Pharmacy Biol Sci. 2016;6(1):16-22.

Al-Atrushi AM, Saeed SY, Yahya SM. Knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers towards oral rehydration therapy in duhok, Iraq. Isra Med J. 2012;4(3):132-8.

Shridevi K, Subudhi S, Madhavi P,Kokiwar R,Shastri V V. Knowledge, Attitude, Practices Regarding Home-based Management of Diarrhoea: A comparative Study. J Malla Reddy Inst Med Sci. 2015;3(1):62-4.

Park K.Acute Diarrhoeal Diseases. In: Text Book of Preventive and Social Medicine, 22nd ed, Jabalpur, M/S Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers; 2013: 200-3.

Shah MS, Ahmad A, Khalique NN, Khan IM, Ansari MA, Khan Z. Do the mothers in rural Aligarh know about home based management of acute diarrhoea? Fronteirs in Life Sciences. Basic Appl MAASCON-1. 2010;3(2):76-80.

Masiha SA, Khalid A, Malik B, Shah SMA. Oral Rehydration Therapy-Knowledge, Attitude and Practice survey of Pakistani Mothers. J Rawalpindi Med Coll Stud Suppl. 2015;19(1);51-4.

Downloads

Published

2017-03-28

How to Cite

Ashraf, A., Bhat, M. A., & ., M. (2017). Childhood diarrhoea: assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices among mothers attending the tertiary care hospital - an observational analytical study. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 4(4), 1219–1222. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20171352

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles