Prevalence of diarrhea and associated factors among infants aged 6-12 months at dessie referral hospital, 2019 E.C

Abstract

Background
Diarrhea illnesses account for a large proportion of childhood morbidity and mortality in the developing world where the levels of hygiene and nutrition may be poor among infants aged 6-12 months in low-income countries including the study area.
Objective
The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of diarrheal and associated factors among infants aged 6-12 months at Dessie Referral Hospital.
Methods
A community based cross-sectional study design was used among randomly selected 326 samples. Data were collected using an interviewer administered pretested structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Odds ratio along with 95%CI were estimated to measure the strength of the association. Level of statistical significance was used at P value less or equal to 0.05.
Results
The prevalence of diarrhea is 29.1% (95% C.I (24.0%-34.0%). Washing feeding utensils twice or more frequently [AOR= 0.12; 95% C.I (0.03-0.42)], Children born to government employed fathers [(AOR=0.01 95 % C.I, (0.00-0.06)] and government employed mothers [(AOR=0.22, 95% C.I, (0.08-0.64)]. Using private tap as source of water [(AOR=0.09, 95% C.I, (0.03-0.28)] and incorrect weaning practice [(AOR= 10.79; 95% C.I, (3.61-32.26)] were significantly associated with diarrhea in infants of age b/n 6-12 months.
Conclusion
The prevalence of diarrhea is high among infants at Dessie Referral Hospital. Diarrhea is significantly associated with paternal education and employment, frequently washing feeding utensils, using tap water as household \source of water, and incorrect weaning practice. Thus creating awareness about safe use of feeding practice, increasing the availability and use of safe water supplies should be strengthened to prevent the incidence of diarrhea in infants.