Parental knowledge, attitude and management practices of childhood diarrhoea in the UAE

Childhood diarrhoea remains a significant public health concern in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since parental awareness directly influences health-seeking behaviour and management decisions, this study aims to evaluate gaps in parental knowledge, attitudes and practices related to childhood diarrhoea.

A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted in the UAE using a self-administered online questionnaire, and 492 responses were collected. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS-26.

21.1% (n = 104) of participants considered themselves very knowledgeable about diarrhoea, with females being 1.86 (95% CI: 1.86-1.28; p < 0.001) times more likely to have a higher knowledge than males. The median diarrhoeal knowledge score was 9 ± 5. While participants demonstrated good understanding of methods of disease contraction, only 43.7% (n = 215) recognised that diarrhoea is contagious. Most participants were unable to identify key symptoms of diarrhoea with 86.6% (n = 426) failing to recognise that diarrhoea could present with loss of skin turgor. Both highest degree obtained and field of work were statistically significant factors in parental diarrhoea knowledge (p = 0.006 and p < 0.001, respectively). Parental attitudes were measured across several distinct factors and the median value obtained was 2 ± 6. Most parents felt capable of managing diarrhoea; however, 6.7% (n = 33) admitted feeling completely unprepared, and nearly half (49.0%, n = 241) reported feeling worried or anxious if their child had diarrhoea. Furthermore, in terms of practices, most parents recognised key interventions, with 74.8% (n = 368) increasing fluid intake and 70.3% (n = 346) offering bland foods.

The overall participants' knowledge ranged from inadequate to moderate, revealing gaps in symptom recognition and misconceptions about disease causes. Addressing these gaps through targeted education programmes for expecting parents could enhance disease recognition, reduce unnecessary medical interventions and improve diarrhoea management, easing the burden on children in the UAE.