Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Dec;14(4):1001-11.
doi: 10.4314/ahs.v14i4.32.

Hygiene and sanitation risk factors of diarrhoeal disease among under-five children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Elizabeth Omoladun Oloruntoba  1 , Taiwo Bukola Folarin  1 , Adejumoke Idowu Ayede  2
Affiliations

Hygiene and sanitation risk factors of diarrhoeal disease among under-five children in Ibadan, Nigeria

Elizabeth Omoladun Oloruntoba et al. Afr Health Sci. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Diarrhoea diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in under-five-children (U-5C) in Nigeria. Inadequate safe water, sanitation, and hygiene account for the disease burden. Cases of diarrhoea still occur in high proportion in the study area despite government-oriented interventions.

Objective: To determine the hygiene and sanitation risk factors predisposing U-5C to diarrhoea in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty pairs of children, matched on age, were recruited as cases and controls over a period of 5 months in Ibadan. Questionnaire and observation checklist were used to obtain information on hygiene practices from caregivers/mothers and sanitation conditions in the households of 30% of the consenting mothers/caregivers. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Caregivers/mothers' mean ages were 31.3 ±7.5 (cases) and 30.6 ±6.0(controls) years. The risk of diarrhoea was significantly higher among children whose mothers did not wash hands with soap before food preparation (OR=3.0, p<0.05), before feeding their children (OR=3.0, p<0.05) and after leaving the toilet (OR=4.7, p<0.05). Factors significantly associated with diarrhoea were: poor water handling (OR=2.0,CI=1.2-3.5), presence of clogged drainage near the house (OR=2.1,CI=1.2-3.7) and breeding places for flies (OR=2.7,CI=1.6-4.7). The mean risk score among cases and controls from the sanitary inspection of drinking water sources were 5.4 ± 2.2 and 3.2 ± 1.9 (p<0.05) and household storage containers were 2.4 ± 1.8 and 1.2 ± 0.7 (p<0.05) respectively.

Conclusion: Hygiene and sanitation conditions within households were risk factors for diarrhoea. This study revealed the feasibility of developing and implementing an adequate model to establish intervention priorities in sanitation in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Keywords: Diarrhoea; Drinking water; Hygiene Risk Factors; Sanitation; Under five children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study Participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Boschi-Pinto C, Velebit L, Shibuya K. Estimating child mortality due to diarrhoea in developing countries. Bulletin of WHO. 2008;86(9):710–717. - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO, author. Reducing mortality from major childhood killer diseases. Mortality Country Fact Sheet. 2006. https://apps.who.int/chd/publications/imci/fs_180.htm.
    1. UNICEF Nigeria, author. The children-Maternal and child health. http://www.unicef.org/nigeria/children1926.html.
    1. Igomu T. cholera epidemic: far from being over. NBF News. www.nigerianbestforum.com/blog/?p=60321.
    1. Gyoh SK. Cholera epidemics in Nigeria: an indictment of the shameful neglect of government. Africa Health. 2011;33(1):5.

MeSH terms