PREDICTORS OF ORAL REHYDRATION THERAPY USE AMONG CAREGIVERS OF UNDER-FIVES WITH DIARRHEAL DISEASES IN BWARI AREA COUNCIL, ABUJA, NIGERIA

Egenti BN*, Umejesi AH, Yalma RM and Adogu PO

ABSTRACT

Diarrhoea is one of the major causes of death in children under five years of age and has remained a significant health problem globally. The use of ORS is been advocated in the management of childhood diarrhoea. WHO suggests ORS begins at home at the first sign of diarrhoea in order to prevent dehydration. This study aims to identify the predictors of Oral Rehydration Therapy use among mothers of under five children with diarrhoeal diseases in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. Questionnaires were used to collect the data. A total of four hundred and six respondents were studied. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. The statistical significance was set at a p-value of <0.05. Logistic regression analysis was employed to further test significant associations of ORS \use. Most of the mothers 83.5% have heard of diarrhoeal disease and their major source of information was from the health worker 54.1%. Majority of them 90.6% are aware of ORT, 33.9% stated the correct composition of ORS, while 71.7% were able to prepare it correctly. 73.7% of mothers perceived diarrhoea to be a serious health condition. Of the 22.4% respondents who reported that their child had diarrhoea in the past 2 weeks before the survey, 42.9% treated at home using ORS. There is a significant association between knowledge of diarrhoea and the level of education (P=0.010). There is a significant association between ORS use and marital status (x2 =20.608, p = <0.001), and type of the toilet facility (x2 = 7.974, p = 0.019). This study concludes that there is good knowledge of diarrhoea observed among the study participants, hence the use of ORS is also high. This implies that knowledge of diarrhoea and ORS are determinants of ORS utilization. Better understanding of diarrhoea and the importance of rehydration using ORS is important for those with poor knowledge of diarrhoea. A child life can be saved with correct management of childhood diarrhea. Therefore efforts should be geared towards improving the quality of care at communities and rural areas.

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