Evaluation of the use of oral rehydration therapy in the management of diarrhoea among children under 5: knowledge attitudes and practices of mothers/caregivers

Abstract

Introduction:Dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting has remained a threat to the lives of children under 5 years old especially in developing countries. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) administered by caregivers is lifesaving but evidence shows unsatisfactory implementation of this. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 377 systematically recruited caregivers was conducted. A face to face questionnaire was used to measure the level of ORT knowledge, attitudes, practices, and responses to diarrhoea and vomiting in children. The data collected were analysed by the use of descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test. The main outcome measures were the level of ORT knowledge of mothers/caregivers, attitudes, practices, and responses to diarrhoea. Results: In total, 88.3% of caregivers were biological mothers. Only 53.3% were aware of the importance of initiating ORT at home with the onset of diarrhoea, and 4% administered traditional remedies. Some 66% of the caregivers had used ORT, 18.3% knew that it prevents dehydration, and 33.7% were able to prepare a correct recipe. Knowledge and attitudes correlated with the ability to initiate ORT at home (p = 0.0000). Conclusion: Unsatisfactory uptake of ORT appears to be due to caregivers' lack of knowledge concerning the perfect mixture, function, and appropriate quantity of ORT administration. Mothers have heard of ORT, but some still believe that traditional remedies are better in treating diarrhoea.

Pre-hospital Use of Oral Rehydration Therapy and Zinc and the Risk of Dehydration in Childhood Diarrhoea

“…The differences may be attributed to the settings of the studies since Ibadan and Port-Harcourt are more cosmopolitan than Ijebu-Ode and Abeokuta and the residents are ordinarily expected to have better access to health information. However, despite the ORT awareness rate of 72.5%, pre-hospital ORT use in the present study was 51.4% contrary to 81.3% previously reported from Ilesa, Nigeria [13] about a decade ago, 77% from Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, [12] 61.8% from Ibadan, Nigeria [11] and 66% [14] and 31.9% [15] reported from South Africa and Bangladesh respectively. This observation on ORT use rate in Ogun State, Nigeria justifies stronger advocacies for focused dissemination of health information regarding home management of childhood diarrhoea in this part of the country.…”

“…On the other hand, the comparable proportions of children with or without dehydration among the users of ORT with zinc may suggest the role of a confounder such as continuing fluid loss from vomiting and poor intake as previously reported [13]. In addition, mothers may ignorantly stop ORT administration if vomiting occurs as previously reported from South Africa that 26.1% of caregivers stopped ORT because of vomiting [14]. Therefore, it is imperative to counsel caregivers on how to administer ORT when vomiting occurs during diarrhoeal episodes.…”

Prevalence of oral rehydration therapy use and associated factors among under-five children with diarrhea in Dangure, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia/2018

“…The result of this study will be helpful to increase the ORT uptake by promoting maternal educational status and knowledge about the perfect mixture, function, and appropriate quantity of ORT administration [25].…”

Spatial variations and associated factors of knowledge of ORS packet or pre-packaged liquids for the management of diarrhea among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia: A spatial and multilevel analysis

“…Knowledge of ORS is a very important and critical factor for its utilization for the management of diarrhea in under-five children [5][6][7][8][9]. As revealed by different scholars, it varies across regions ranging from 62% in India to 98% in Nigeria [10,11].…”