Influence of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices on Common Infections among Under-Five Children in Longido and Monduli Districts of Arusha, Tanzania

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing water, sanitation, and hygiene practices and their influence on infectious diseases among under-five children in semipastoral communities of Arusha. The study was cross-sectional in design. Prevalence of infectious diseases among under-five children was derived from patients' attendance register. Mothers randomly sampled from households were interviewed using questionnaire. Information regarding child morbidity and sociodemographic and WASH characteristics was gathered. Hospital data revealed that 2/3 of under-five patients visited the hospitals annually were suffering from infectious diseases. Mean percentage of diarrhea prevalence for years 2013–2015 in Longido was higher than the mean of the respective years prevalence in Monduli (p = 0.02). Households' survey showed that 15.5% of under-five children were suffering from diarrhea. Children who consumed foods kept in kibuyu (p < 0.001) or used unboiled cows' milk (p = 0.01) or were drinking surface water (p = 0.04) or born to uneducated mothers (p = 0.01) had increased risk of developing diarrhea compared to their counterparts. Storing complementary foods in kibuyu was strongly associated with diarrhea among under-five children. To address the problem, communities under study need to be motivated through health education on food hygiene, proper handling of food storage containers, and domestic water treatment at the household level.

The source of potential pollution and diarrhea on toodlers at populous area (a study at Johar Baru Subdistrict, Central Jakarta)

“…Mother's education is a risk factor for the occurrence of diarrhea on toddlers in Johar Baru Subdistrict. This is in line with the statement of Yilgwan & Okolo [17], mothers who have low education are more likely to experience diarrhea than mothers who have higher education and also research conducted by Mshida et al [18] that low education is a factor influencing the case of infectious diseases such as diarrhea. Middle to lower social status indicates low education and makes it difficult for mothers understand child and family care.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Sanitation Among Women of Reproductive Age at Badbado Camp, Dharkenley District, Mogadishu-Somalia

“…Strunz et al, [13] identifies that women with poor sanitation facilities are more susceptible to hookworm infestation resulting in maternal anemia, which in turn is directly associated to adverse pregnancy outcomes [14,2] the diarrhea remains second leading cause of mortality and morbidity among under-five children worldwide and the first in sub-Sahara Africa [1,2]. Furthermore, the lives of about 800 under-five children are lost daily due to diarrhea worldwide [3]. The highest rates of child mortality are in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is [2,5,6,3].…”

“…Furthermore, the lives of about 800 under-five children are lost daily due to diarrhea worldwide [3]. The highest rates of child mortality are in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia is [2,5,6,3]. The high mortality rates of 13.9% are still attributed to diarrheal deaths in Egypt among children less than five years old irrespective of the recent reduction in child mortality rates [1].…”

“…Nevertheless, systematic reviews suggest that improved sanitation can reduce rates of diarrheal diseases by 32%-37% [14][15][16]7]. However, the improvements in one or more of these three components of good health can substantially reduce the rates of morbidity and the severity of various diseases and improve the quality of life of huge numbers of people, particularly children, in developing countries [2,3,7].…”

“…Without access to clean water, toilets and good hygiene practices, the risk of contracting easily preventable diseases, such as diarrhea, acute watery diarrhea, cholera, and respiratory infections was high. In the past 3 years, more than 900 people in Somalia, majority of them children under the age of five, have died from cholera [3,8]. In Somalia, 37 per cent of the population practice open defecation -one of the primary causes of diarrhea.…”