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. 2025 Jan 24;8(1):e70380.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70380. eCollection 2025 Jan.

Prevalence of Diarrhea Disease and Associated Factors Among Children Under 5 Years in Geshiyaro Project Implementation Sites in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Zinabu Assefa Alemu  1 , Aderajew Mekonnen Girmay  1 , Kirubel Tesfaye Teklu  1 , Ermias Alemayehu Adugna  1 , Melaku Gizaw Serte  1 , Tsigereda Assefa Alemayehu  1 , Badasa Wagari Likasa  1 , Benjamin Collyer  2 , Zelalem Mehari  3 , Mihretab Salasibew  4 , Getachew Tollera  1 , Masresha Tessema  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of Diarrhea Disease and Associated Factors Among Children Under 5 Years in Geshiyaro Project Implementation Sites in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Zinabu Assefa Alemu et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Globally, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria are the leading causes of death for children under 5. Diarrheal disease is a significant public health concern and causes the death of approximately 525,000 children under the age of 5 every year. In Ethiopia, studies revealed that the prevalence of diarrhea among children under 5 years is alarming. However, there has been a shortage of studies regarding the predictors of diarrheal disease in Geshiyaro project implementation sites in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2023. A total of 2937 participants were enrolled in this investigation. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using STATA version 16.

Results: The 2-week prevalence of diarrhea among children under 5 years was 11.8%. The following factors were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the occurrence of childhood diarrhea: sex of the child (AOR: 1.6; 95% CI, 1.17-2.19), child age in a month (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI, 0.26-0.94), drinking water service (AOR: 2.6; 95% CI, 1.33-5.25), knowledge on diarrhea prevention (AOR: 1.4; 95% CI, 1.05-1.98), open defecation practice (AOR: 1.9; 95% CI, 1.33-2.74), and rotavirus vaccination (AOR: 1.8; 95% CI, 1.20-2.56).

Conclusions: This study identified several factors contributing to diarrhea. Besides, it also studied and showed a larger number of children who were not receiving basic vaccines. Therefore, the government and partner organizations should implement effective interventions to increase vaccine coverage and reduce diarrhea.

Keywords: Ethiopia; children under 5; diarrhea; prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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