Abstract
Introduction
Diarrhea is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young children. It is a preventable and treatable childhood disease, and the most severe threat posed by diarrhea is dehydration. Mothers' good knowledge and proper home management can reduce morbidity and mortality due to diarrhea in children, and diarrhea management with oral rehydration therapy (ORS) and zinc is particularly recommended. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing mothers’ knowledge of home management of diarrhea for children under 24 months of age in four administrative districts of Takeo Province.
Methods
We analyzed existing survey data from the project entitled “Improving Maternal and Child Health in Four Administrative Districts in the Takeo Province, Cambodia, in 2017”. Multistage cluster sampling was used to recruit participants. In total, the study collected data from 374 eligible mothers with children under 24 months of age. Descriptive statistics and a chi-square (X2) test were used to analyze factors associated with mothers’ knowledge of diarrhea home management. A p-value of <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
Results
The mean age of the mothers was 28.74 years. Mothers (21.1%) reported giving only ORS to their children with diarrhea. Only close to 7.0% of mothers had their child’s managed diarrhea at home by giving the recommended ORS and zinc. A total of 40.4% of mothers had knowledge of the home management of their child’s diarrhea by giving either ORS, zinc, or homemade fluid. Place of residence (p=0.044), at least 4 antenatal cares (p=0.013), and postnatal care (p=0.002) were significantly associated with reported ORS. Factors statistically associated with giving either one of the recommended options were place of residence (p=0.001), child’s sex (p=0.014), and children ever receiving measles vaccination (p=0.037).
Conclusion
Appropriate maternal knowledge of home management for children with diarrhea is relatively low. Community health promotion activities for proper home management of diarrhea should be better implemented and well monitored. Promoting the use of public healthcare services, especially ANC and PNC, will increase mothers’ knowledge of the home management of children with diarrhea.