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

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.