Food practices during diarrhoea

Abstract

A study was conducted to find out the pattern of food and fluid practices during diarrhoea among 2,160 children under five. Mothers were educated to give home made fluids during diarrhoea. Their personal hygiene was studied and a positive correlation between diarrhoea and poor personal hygiene was found. After the health education programme, it was observed that mothers started giving home made fluids to the children during diarrhoea but the amount was not increased. Normal feeding was continued only in 38.2% of the episodes.

PIP: In India, one year after caretakers and indigenous practitioners were educated about causes of diarrhea, dangers of diarrhea, and management of diarrhea with home made fluids (e.g., salt sugar solution and oral rehydration solution [ORS]), field workers interviewed caretakers of and observed 2160 children less than 5 years old in a rural area of Varanasi district to determine existing food practices during a diarrhea episode. Most families (82.4%) obtained their water from wells. There were 2198 diarrhea episodes. The prevalence of diarrhea was 72.2%. Families who kept their water covered had a lower prevalence of diarrhea than those who did not cover their water (84.8% vs. 49.4%; p 0.001). Families who washed utensils with ash had a lower prevalence of diarrhea than those who washed them with mud or both (60.07% vs. 80.02% and 68.1%, respectively; p 0.001). Families who washed their hands with soap before meals suffered diarrhea less often than those who did not (59% vs. 73%; p 0.001). After the health education program, about 82% of mothers breast fed during diarrheal episodes. More mothers gave khichri and rice to children during an episode after the program than before the program (36.4% vs. 18.4% and 18.4% vs. 10.4%, respectively; p 0.001). Even though mothers were more likely to administer fluids after the program than before (e.g., salt sugar solution, 2% vs. 29.6%; p 0.001), they did not necessarily do so often enough (just 23.8% did so 3-4 times/day). Often, the ingredients for salt sugar solution were not available in the home. Only 38.2% of caretakers continued to give the ill children the usual amount of food during a diarrheal episode. These results indicate a need for the health education program to promote increased fluid intake and continued normal feeding during diarrheal episodes.