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14. Maternal Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices About Diarrhoea in Children

Ayesha Nadeem and Sidra Shaukat

ABSTRACT

Objective: The objective of the study is to know the maternal knowledge, attitudes and practices about diarrhoea in children.  

Study Design: Descriptive / Cross sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Children Outdoor of Tehsil Hospital Yazman (District Bahawalpur) from September 20, 2016 to October 19, 2016.

Materials and Methods: The mothers carrying their children having diarrhoea were included.  The children not carried by their mothers or sick enough to be admitted in the hospital or needed to be referred were excluded from the study.  

Results: One hundred mothers were included in the study. Only 4% mothers were having at least Higher Secondary Certificate while 14% were uneducated. 41% mothers defined diarrhoea as 'increase in frequency' while 35% as 'decrease in consistency'. The main causes of diarrhoea as narrated by mothers were unhygienic water or food or both, eruption of teeth and eating earth.  71% mothers answered ' yes' to the question’ Does the fluid intake be increased during diarrhoea?’ 65% mothers answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘Is oral rehydration salt useful during diarrhoea?’ 61% mothers were in the opinion of stopping or modifying the diet during diarrhoea. The response of mothers to the questions ‘Does hand washing help in the prevention of diarrhoea?’, ‘Does clean water/food help in the prevention of diarrhoea?’, Does  proper disposal of excreta  help in the prevention of diarrhoea?’ and ‘Does breast feeding help in the prevention of diarrhoea?’ was ‘yes’ in 48%, 77%, 38% and 56% cases respectively.   Conclusion: There is need of improvement in the knowledge of mothers about diarrhoea in children.

Key Words: Diarrhoea; Education; Oral rehydration salt; Diet; Breast feeding

Citation of article: Nadeem A, Shaukat S. Maternal Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices About Diarrhoea in


Children. Med Forum 2017;28(2):53-55.