AUTHOR=Birhan Tsegaye Adane , Bitew Bikes Destaw , Dagne Henok , Amare Dagnachew Eyachew , Azanaw Jember , Genet Mengesha , Engdaw Garedew Tadege , Tesfaye Amensisa Hailu , Yirdaw Getasew , Maru Tadele 

TITLE=Prevalence of diarrheal disease and associated factors among under-five children in flood-prone settlements of Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional community-based study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2023.1056129

DOI=10.3389/fped.2023.1056129

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Background: Diarrheal illnesses are a long-standing global public health problem due to numerous sanitation issues and a lack of safe drinking water. Floods exacerbate public health by spreading water-borne infectious diseases such as diarrhea through the destruction of sanitation facilities and contamination of drinking water. There has been a shortage of studies regarding the magnitude of diarrheal disease in flood-prone areas. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the prevalence of diarrheal disease and its predictors among under-five children living in flood-prone localities in the south Gondar zone of Northwest Ethiopia.
Method: A community-based cross-sectional research was carried out in flood-prone villages of the Fogera and Libokemkem districts from January 17 to March 30, 2021. Purposive and systematic sampling techniques were used to select six kebeles and 717 study units, respectively. Structured and pretested questionnaires were used to collect the data. A multivariable analysis was performed to determine the predictors of diarrheal disease, with P-value < 0.05 used as the cut-off point to declare the association.
Result: The prevalence of diarrheal disease among under-five children was 29.0%. The regular cleaning of the compound [AOR: 2.13; 95% CI (1.25, 3.62)], source of drinking water [AOR: 2.36; 95% CI: (1.26, 4.41)], animal access to water storage site [AOR: 3.04; 95% CI: (1.76, 5.24)], vector around food storage sites [AOR: 9.13; 95% CI: (4.06, 20.52)], use of leftover food [AOR: 4.31; 95% CI: (2.64, 7.04)], and fecal contamination of water [AOR: 12.56; 95% CI: (6.83, 23.20)] remained to have a significant association with diarrheal diseases.
Conclusion: The present study found that the prevalence of diarrheal disease among under-five children was 29%. Routine compound cleaning, the source of drinking water, animal access to a water storage site, vectors near food storage sites, consumption of leftover food, and fecal contamination of water were significant predictors of diarrheal disease. Therefore, the district health offices should offer health education about water, hygiene, and sanitation, and should increase the provision of improved water sources in collaboration with the community and water sector of each district.