Knowledge, Perceptions and Management of Childhood Diarrhoea Among Caregivers of Under-Five Children in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, NIGERIA

Abstract

Introduction: Worldwide, diarrhoea claims the life of around 443,832 under-five children every year and most occurring in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, perceptions and management of childhood diarrhoea among caregivers of under-five children in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design with a sample size of 387 and a multistage sampling technique was used to select respondents. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the knowledge, perceptions and management of childhood diarrhoea among caregivers of under-five children. The data were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 27and p-value < 0.05 was significant. Results: Out of the 387 respondents, majority 337(87.1%) were females. A total of 147(38.0%) respondents were between the ages of 26 to 36 years. Also, 53.0% had good knowledge level, 82.9% had positive perceptions towards childhood diarrhoea, 61.8% use oral rehydration solution while 5.2% use zinc tablet in management of diarrhoea. There was statistically significant relationship between knowledge level and socio-demographic characteristics (age, level of education and occupation) of the respondents. Conclusion: There was good knowledge and positive perception of under-five diarrhoea disease among caregiver in the area. But zinc tablet was poorly used in the management. Therefore, health education on the proper management of childhood diarrhoea should be reinforced in the study area.