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Assessment of the Incidence and Contributing Factors of Diarrheal Episodes in Children Under Five Years Admitted to Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Hoima District
Author: Muzungu John Baptist
Publisher: IDOSR JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY
Published: 2023
Section: Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry
Abstract
Diarrhea is a major public health concern worldwide, with 2.5 billion cases occurring
annually among children under five. Nearly three-quarters of child deaths are due to
diarrhea, with 16,000 children under five dying daily from preventable causes like
pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria. This study aimed to determine factors influencing
diarrhea in children under five admitted at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. A crosssectional
study was conducted, with 238 mothers randomly sampled from the population
whose children were admitted. The prevalence of diarrhea among children under five
admitted at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital was 24.4% at the time of data collection.
Factors influencing this high prevalence include the child's vaccination status, the
introduction of supplementary foods at an early age, early weaning, and the child's age.
Mothers often do not practice exclusive breastfeeding, but introduce their children to other
foods at a very early age, coupled with early weaning practices