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
. 2019 May 14;19(1):417.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-4030-3.

Prevalence of diarrhea and associated factors among under-five children in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2016: a cross-sectional study

Amare Belachew Dagnew  1 , Tilahun Tewabe  2 , Yihun Miskir  2 , Tariku Eshetu  2 , Wosin Kefelegn  2 , Kidanu Zerihun  2 , Mekonnen Urgessa  2 , Tiruha Teka  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of diarrhea and associated factors among under-five children in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2016: a cross-sectional study

Amare Belachew Dagnew et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: In Ethiopia, morbidity and mortality due to diarrhea is significantly high. Most importantly, burden of diarrhea is disproportionately high among under-five children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with diarrhea among children younger than 5 years old in Bahir Dar city, Northwest, Ethiopia, 2016.

Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among under-five years-old children from March 24 to April 12, 2016. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 498 households. Data were collected by using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictor variables. Factors with a p-value of < 0.05 were considered as independently associated with diarrhea.

Results: The 2 weeks prevalence of diarrhea among under five children was 14.5%. Lack of hand washing facilities in the household (AOR = 3.910 (1.770, 8.634)), lack of separate feeding materials (AOR = 5.769 (1.591, 9.220)), poor hand washing practice (AOR = 6.104 (2.100, 17.738)) and not breastfeeding (AOR = 2.3 (1.023, 5.46)) were predictors of the concurrence of diarrhea.

Conclusions: The prevalence of diarrhea in the study area was slightly higher than the 2016, Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey finding which was 12%. Thus, improving handwashing facilities and practices, serving the food to the child with a separate materials and encourage optimal breastfeeding were recommended.

Keywords: Bahir Dar; Diarrhea; Ethiopia; Under -five children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and conscent to participate

Ethical clearance was obtained from Bahir Dar University, school of the nursing research committee. The objective and importance of the study were explained to the study participants. The study participant also anticipated benefits and risk, and right not to respond if they did not want to respond oo the study questions. Verbal consent was approved by ethical review board.

Consent for publication

It is not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing of interest.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

    1. Gidudu J, et al. Diarrhea: case definition and guidelines for collection, analysis, and presentation of immunization safety data. Vaccine. 2011;29(5):1053. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.11.065. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Organization, W.H . Diarrhoeal disease. 2013. Reference Source. 2015.
    1. Organization, W.H., W.U.J.W. Supply, and S.M. Programme. Progress on sanitation and drinking water: 2015 update and MDG assessment: World Health Organization; 2015. https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Progresson-Sanitation...
    1. Bartram J, et al. Global monitoring of water supply and sanitation: history, methods and future challenges. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(8):8137–8165. doi: 10.3390/ijerph110808137. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anteneh ZA, Andargie K, Tarekegn M. Prevalence and determinants of acute diarrhea among children younger than five years old in Jabithennan District, Northwest Ethiopia, 2014. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4021-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed