Prevalence of and factors associated with acute diarrhea among children under five in rural areas in Ethiopia with and without implementation of community-led total sanitation and hygiene.
Since Ethiopia has been implemented the Community-Led Total Sanitation and Hygiene (CLTSH) approach to control incidence of diarrhea, few studies have compared the prevalence of diarrhea and associated factors in rural areas that have implemented this approach with those that have not implemented it, and none have examined it in the district of Menz Gera Midir in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. This study addressed this gap.
A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 224 children under five in three randomly selected rural kebeles (the smallest administrative units in Ethiopia) where CLTSH had been implemented and 448 similar children in three other randomly selected rural kebeles where CLTSH had not been implemented during February and March, 2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and an on-the-spot observational checklist. Data were analyzed using three different binary logistic regression models with 95% confidence interval (CI): the first model (Model I) was used for CLTSH-implementing kebeles, the second model (Model II) for non-CLTSH-implementing kebeles, and the third model (Model III) for pooled analysis of CLTSH-implementing and non-implementing kebeles. To control confounders, each multivariable logistic regression model was built by retained variables with p < 0.25 from the bi-variable logistic regression analysis. From the adjusted multivariable analysis of each model, variables with p-values < 0.05 were declared factors significantly associated with acute diarrhea.
The prevalence of acute diarrhea among children under five from households in kebeles that had implemented CLTSH was 10.6% (95% CI:6.6-14.7%) and among those that had not implemented CLTSH 18.3% (95%CI:14.8-22.2%). In CLTSH-implementing areas, use of only water to wash hands (AOR: 3.28; 95% CI:1.13-9.58) and having a mother/caregiver who did not wash their hands at critical times (AOR: 3.02; 95% CI:1.12-8.12) were factors significantly associated with acute diarrhea. In non-CLTSH-implementing areas, unimproved water source (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.81; 95% CI:1.65-4.78), unsafe disposal of child feces (AOR: 2.10; 95% CI:1.13-3.89), improper solid waste disposal (AOR: 1.95; 95% CI:1.12-3.38), and untreated drinking water (AOR: 2.33; 95% CI:1.21-4.49) were factors significantly associated with acute diarrhea. From the pooled analysis, not washing hands at critical times (AOR: 2.54; 95% CI:1.59-4.06), unsafe disposal of child feces (AOR: 2.20; 95% CI:1.34-3.60) and unimproved water source (AOR: 2.56; 95% CI:1.62-4.05) were factors significantly associated with the occurrence of acute diarrhea while implementation of CLTSH was a preventive factor (AOR: 0.24; 95%: 0.20-0.60) for the occurrence of acute diarrhea.
The prevalence of acute diarrhea among under-five children in Menz Gera Midir District was lower in kebeles where CLTSH had been implemented than in kebeles where CLTSH had not been implemented. Therefore, we recommend that governmental and non-governmental sectors increase implementation of CLTSH programs, including improving handwashing at critical times, promoting safe disposal of child feces and enhancing the availability of improved water sources.
Mernie G
,Kloos H
,Adane M
《BMC Pediatrics》
Determinants of diarrheal diseases among under five children in Jimma Geneti District, Oromia region, Ethiopia, 2020: a case-control study.
Globally, in 2017, there were nearly 1.7 billion cases of childhood diarrheal diseases, and it is the second most important cause of morbidity and mortality among under-five children in low-income countries, including Ethiopia. Sanitary conditions, poor housing, an unsanitary environment, insufficient safe water supply, cohabitation with domestic animals that may carry human pathogens, and a lack of food storage facilities, in combination with socioeconomic and behavioral factors, are common causes of diarrhea disease and have had a significant impact on diarrhea incidence in the majority of developing countries.
A community-based unmatched case-control study was conducted on 407 systematically sampled under-five children of Jimma Geneti District (135 with diarrhea and 272 without diarrhea) from May 01 to 30, 2020. Data was collected using an interview administered questionnaire and observational checklist adapted from the WHO/UNICEF core questionnaire and other related literature. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were done by using SPSS version 20.0.
Sociodemographic determinants such as being a child of 12-23 months of age (AOR 3.3, 95% CI 1.68-6.46; P < 0.05) and mothers'/caregivers' history of diarrheal diseases (AOR 7.38, 95% CI 3.12-17.44; P < 0.05) were significantly associated with diarrheal diseases among under-five children. Environmental and behavioral factors such as lack of a hand-washing facility near a latrine (AOR 5.22, 95% CI 3.94-26.49; P < 0.05), a lack of hand-washing practice at critical times (AOR 10.6, 95% CI 3.74-29.81; P < 0.05), improper domestic solid waste disposal (AOR 2.68, 95% CI 1.39-5.18; P < 0.05), and not being vaccinated against rotavirus (AOR 2.45, 95% CI 1.25-4.81; P < 0,05) were found important determinants of diarrheal diseases among under-five children.
The unavailability of a hand-washing facility nearby latrine, mothers'/caregivers' history of the last 2 weeks' diarrheal diseases, improper latrine utilization, lack of hand-washing practice at critical times, improper solid waste disposal practices, and rotavirus vaccination status were the determinants of diarrheal diseases among under-five children identified in this study. Thus, promoting the provision of continuous and modified health information programs for households on the importance of sanitation, personal hygiene, and vaccination against rotavirus is fundamental to decreasing the burden of diarrheal disease among under-five children.
Mosisa D
,Aboma M
,Girma T
,Shibru A
... -
《BMC Pediatrics》