ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Knowledge and practices on diarrheal illness and associated factors in Lebanon
Provisionally accepted
- 1Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
- 2College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Objectives: This study focuses on diarrheal disease in Lebanon, where it remains a significant contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality. Understanding the population's knowledge and practices regarding diarrhea is crucial for designing effective public health interventions. This study assessed knowledge and practices regarding diarrheal illness in Lebanon, aiming to identify gaps and guide future interventions. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to October 2024 using snowball sampling among 455 Lebanese residents aged 18 years and above. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire, adapted from validated tools, translated into Arabic, and pilot-tested. The survey covered sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and practices related to diarrhea. Cronbach's alpha values for knowledge and practice scales were 0.91 and 0.66, respectively. Results: Participants had a mean age of 35.3 years, and 56.5% were female. Most (71.9%) had never received information about diarrheal illness. Higher knowledge was observed among medical profes-sionals and university graduates, while lower knowledge was associated with overcrowded house-holds and having more children under five. Better practices were observed among women and those previously were informed about diarrhea. Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed that while some participants demonstrated awareness regarding diarrheal illness, with over two-third reporting having no prior information about the disease. These results highlight important knowledge gaps within the Lebanese population that warrant attention. To address these gaps, targeted health education initiatives focusing on diarrhea prevention, management, and care-seeking behaviors are recommended to enhance public awareness and promote better health practices. Keywords: diarrhea; knowledge; Lebanon; practices.
Keywords: Diarrhea, knowledge, Lebanon, Practices, Practice
Received: 08 May 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Akkari, Kerbage, Malaeb, Hallit and Hallit. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Diana Malaeb, dr.diana@gmu.ac.ae
Souheil Hallit, souheilhallit@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.