Mothers’ knowledge, attitude and home management of diarrhoea among children under five years old in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Diarrhoea is a leading cause of death among children under five years old globally. It remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among this age group in Nigeria. Using simple home management, mothers play important roles in the prevention and control of diarrhoea among these children.

Aim: This study aimed to assess mothers’ knowledge, attitude and practice in the prevention and home management of diarrhoeal diseases among children under five years old in Lagos, Nigeria.

Setting: This study was conducted within the communities of Kosofe local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analysed using EPI info version 7.2.1. Chi-square statistic was used to test the association between variable at the level of significance of 5%.

Results: A total of 360 respondents participated in this study. The mean age of the respondents was 32.5 ± 5.5 years. About 59.2% of respondents had good knowledge, 59.2% of them had positive attitude, and 53.1% of them had good practice towards prevention and home management of diarrhoea. Age (p = 0.007), occupation (p = 0.008) and level of education (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with practice of home management of diarrhoea among children under five years old.

Conclusion: Educated, employed, and married mothers were more likely to have good prevention and home management practices towards diarrhoea in their children under five years old.