Prevention and home‐based management of childhood diarrhoea in an urban informal settlement in Northern Ghana; a cross‐sectional study of maternal knowledge, attitude and practices

Abstract

Abstract Background The burden of diarrhoea morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years is higher in developing countries than in developed regions. Residents of informal settlements in many developing lower‐and‐middle‐income countries (LMICs) have a relatively high prevalence of diarrhoea and diarrhoea‐related diseases. Mothers are the burden bearers during children's diarrhoea episodes. Therefore, maternal knowledge and management skills are important to minimise the effects of morbidity and mortality associated with diarrhoeal diseases. Methods This cross‐sectional study was conducted among mothers residing in an informal settlement to assess their knowledge of diarrhoea prevention and home‐based management practices. An interviewer‐based questionnaire was used to gather information, imported into Microsoft Excel (Microsoft) and exported to STATA software version 13.1 (Stata) for data analysis. We performed descriptive multivariable analysis to find out participants knowledge of diarrhoea prevention and home‐based management practices and associated factors. Results A total of 428 participants participated in this study, with the majority, 6 64.5% (276/428) having good knowledge of prevention and home‐based management of diarrhoea among children under 5 years. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, participants who were multiparous and completed tertiary were 4.01 [confidence interval (CI) = 3.23–7.15; p = <0.0001] and 2.02 (CI = 2.16–4.91; p = 0.005) times likely to have good knowledge. Participants who had attained tertiary education and earned monthly income above Gh¢ 4000 were 7.21 (CI = 5.24–16.5; p < 0.0001) and 12.4 (CI = 4.80–33.3; p < 0.0001) likely to have good practice of prevention and home‐based management of diarrhoea among children under 5 years. Conclusion These findings may serve as a basis for developing specific interventions to enhance good knowledge and good practice regarding home‐based management of diarrhoea among children under five. Practitioners can provide targeted education, empower mothers to implement proper preventive measures and timely interventions thereby reducing the impact and severity of diarrhoeal episodes in children under 5 years in urban informal settlements.

Keywords

• diarrhoea
• home‐based management
• prevention
• under‐five children
• urban informal settlements