Reducing childhood diarrhea morbidity: does behaviour change matter? A case study from Northern Ghana

Diarrhea ranks second among the diseases reported in health institutions in Ghana, with children below 5 years of age from Northern Ghana being the worst affected. Using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted with 285 mothers drawn from various communities, this study was undertaken to identify local adaptive behaviours that could be modified for childhood diarrhea reductions in the Tamale Metropolitan Area (TMA), the largest urban centre in Northern Ghana and the third largest in the country. Findings reveal the importance of water and food storage practices as well as mothers' understanding and practice of hygiene in determining the incidence of childhood diarrhea morbidity. The study concludes that mothers' lack of understanding of the link between infections and diarrhea incidence is crucial and stresses that building the capacity of households and community members to recognize and change inappropriate behaviours can increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of child health intervention programs in Northern Ghana.