Maternal knowledge, attitude and practices during childhood diarrhoea

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Diarrhoea and pneumonia are leading causes of mortality in children under five.
• Most diarrhoeal deaths are preventable through hygiene and rehydration therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess maternal knowledge and practices regarding childhood diarrhoea in India.
• To identify gaps in understanding and inform targeted educational interventions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 280 mothers with children aged 2-59 months presenting with acute watery diarrhoea.
• Data collected on demographics, water treatment, hand washing, diarrhoea prevention, and Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) preparation/administration.
• Knowledge scores analyzed based on maternal education levels.

Main Results:

• One-fifth of mothers were illiterate; only one-third pre-treated drinking water.
• Mean knowledge scores for hygiene, prevention, and complications were low, but higher in educated mothers (P<0.05).
• Only about 50% of mothers correctly knew ORS preparation and administration methods.

Conclusions:

• Inadequate maternal knowledge and practices regarding childhood diarrhoea are prevalent in India.
• Targeted patient counselling and education are essential, particularly for illiterate mothers.
• Interventions should focus on improving understanding of hygiene, prevention, and ORS use to reduce child mortality.