Childhood Diarrhea Prevalence and Uptake of Oral Rehydration Solution and Zinc Treatment in Nigeria

Given the disproportionate burden of childhood diarrhea deaths in Nigeria, this study assessed the prevalence and predictors of the disease and the uptake of ORS and zinc supplementation as treatments in a population-based national survey. Cross-sectional data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey were used. A log-Poisson regression was used to estimate the relative risks (RR) for the individual-level predictors of childhood diarrhea and the uptake of ORS and zinc treatments. A total of 30,713 children under 5 years of age were included in the survey. The period prevalence of reported diarrhea in the last two weeks was 12.9% (95% CI: 12.5%, 13.3%). Among the children with diarrhea, the proportion who received ORS was 39.7% (95% CI: 38.2%, 41.3%), while 29.1% of them received zinc supplements (95% CI: 27.7%, 30.5%), and 21.8% of them received both the ORS and zinc treatments as recommended. Children under 6 months of age with diarrhea had a significantly lower likelihood of being given ORS or zinc when they were compared to the older children. The institutional delivery of them, maternal employment, and improved water sources were also independent predictors of the uptake of ORS and zinc treatments for diarrhea (p-values < 0.05). Interventions to prevent childhood diarrhea and improve the coverage of ORS and zinc treatments may reduce the large burden of childhood diarrhea deaths in Nigeria.