Journal of Health and Environmental Research

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Influence of Environmental Factors and Socioeconomic Status of Parents on the Occurrence of Under-Five Diarrhea Disease Among Selected Households in Abia State, Nigeria

Received: 15 May 2018    Accepted: 07 June 2018    Published: 16 August 2018
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Abstract

Diarrhea diseases are widely recognized as a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in many developing countries in children under five years of age. This study examined the influences of socioeconomic status of parents and environmental factors on the occurrence of under five diarrhea disease among selected households in Abia State. Six (6) L.G.A were randomly sampled and 3,000 households were selected for the study through multistage sampling technique. A well structured questionnaire was use to collect relevant data regarding respondent socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of diarrhea disease, sign and symptoms, causes of diarrhea, Child’s exposure to diarrhea within the past three months as well as the environmental factors of diarrhea. Data collected were analyzed using percentage and chi-square (x2). Almost all the respondents (99.3%) claimed to have knowledge of diarrhea disease. The main source of information/awareness was the health center (26.7%), while the least was newspaper/magazine, (2.5%). Frequent watery stool was the common sign/symptom while contaminated food (7.7%) and bad water (4.8%) were the common causes of diarrhea. About 74.8% of the respondent attested that they have experienced diarrhea on their children less than five years with the major occurrence within 0-10months (26.8%), more especially among the boys (52.3%). Contaminated water and food (23.3%) and dirty and bushy surroundings (21.0%) were the major environmental factors associated with diarrhea occurrence. Financial status of caregivers/parents, low educational level and inadequate knowledge about diarrhea, as well as some environmental factors like contaminated water and food, dusty and bushy surrounding, poor toilet facility, improper refuse disposal and animals sheltered in household were found to significantly influence the occurrence of diarrhea disease among under-five children. Conclusively, it was recommended that the households including mothers must be well informed about the importance of employing good hygiene practices, the importance of using good hygiene practices regarding water, sanitation and food preparation to reduce/control diarrhea diseases. Furthermore, health intervention programs, to include exclusive breastfeeding and maternal hygiene education should be strengthened in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality of diarrhea disease.

DOI 10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13
Published in Journal of Health and Environmental Research (Volume 4, Issue 3, September 2018)
Page(s) 97-104
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Influence, Environmental Factors, Socioeconomic Status, Parents/Caregivers, Diarrhea, Under-Five, Household

References
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[2] Navaneethan, U., andGiannella, R. A. (2008). Mechanisms of Infectious diarrhea. Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 5 (11), 637-647.
[3] World Health Organization. (2013). WHO programme for control of diarrhea diseases, Seventh Programme Report, WHO/CDD, 90:34.
[4] Yilgwan, C. S., and Okolo, S. N. (2012). Prevalence of diarrhea disease and risk factors in Jos University Teaching Hospital Nigeria. Annual African Medical, 11, 217-221.
[5] Bethany, C., Rob, S., and Juan, S. L. (2008). Maternal behavior and experience, care access and agency as determinants of child diarrhea in Bolivia. Pan American journal of Public Health, 28 (6), 429-439.
[6] Yohannes, A. G., Streatfield, K., and Bost, L. (1992). Child morbidity patterns in Ethiopia. Journal of Biosocial Science, 24, 143-155.
[7] Kare, M., Henrik, J., Liselotte, I., and Peter, A. (1997). Risk factors of diarrheal disease Incidence in early childhood: A Community Cohort Study from Guinea Bissau. American Journal of Epidemiology, 146 (3), 273-282.
[8] Fuchs, C., Sultana, T., Ahmed, T., and Hossain, M. I. (2014). Factors associated with acute malnutrition among children admitted to a diarrhea Treatment facility in Bangladesh. International Journal of pediatrics.
[9] Ahmed, A. S., Ahmed, A., Roy, S. k., Alam, N., and hossain, M. I. (2012). Determinants of Under nutrition in children under 2 years of age from rural Bangladesh. Indian Paediatrics, 49, 821-824.
[10] Nahar, B., Ahmed, A., Roy, S. K., Alam, N., and Hossain, M. I. (2012). Risk factors associated with severe underweight among young children reporting to a diarrhea treatment facility in Bangladesh. Journal of Epidemiology, 22 (2), 278-283.
[11] Rina, A., Tirta, P. S., Soemilah, S., Ingebora, M. J., Bovee, O., Edith, J. M., and Frans, J. K. (2013). Association of food hygiene practices and diarrhea prevalence among Indonesian young children from low socioeconomic urban areas. BMC Public Health, 13, 977.
[12] Environmental Health Project. (2012). Lesson learnt. PNA-CY112.www.ehproject.org.
[13] Motarjemi, Y., Kaferstein, F., Moy, G., and Quevedo, F. (1993). Contaminated weaning food: A major risk factor for diarrheal and associated malnutrition. Bull: World Health Organization. 71 (1), 79-92.
[14] Boadi, K. O., and Kuitunen, M. (2005). Childhood diarrheal morbidity in the Accra metropolitan area, Ghana: Socioeconomic, environmental and behavioral risk determinants. Journal of Health Population Development Countries, 33-46.
[15] Levine, O. S., and Levine, M. M. (1991). Houseflies (Muscadomestica) as mechanical vectors of shigellosis. Review of Infectious Disease, 13, 688-696.
[16] Oloruntoba, E. O., Folarin, T. B., and Ayede, A. I. (2014). Hygiene and Sanitation risk factors of diarrheal disease among under-five children in Ibadan, Nigeria. Journal of Africa Health Science, 14 (4), 1001-1011.
[17] Akimbami, F. O. (2007). Diarrhoeal Disease in Childhood. In: Azubuike, J. C., Nkanginieme, K. E., (Editors), Paediatrics and Child Health (pp. 283-295). A Tropical Region, Owerri: African Educational Services.
[18] Fening, K., andEdoh, D. (2008). The Impact of Socio-economic Status and Sanitation levels on the prevalence of Diarrhea disease in the AkimOda Area of Ghana. Internet Journal of Epidemiology. 5 (2).
[19] Iloh, G. U., Ofoedi, J. N., Njoku, P. U., Amadi, A. N., and Godswill-Uko, E. U. (2012). The Magnitude of under-five emergencies in a resource – poor environment of a rural hospital in eastern Nigeria: Implication for strengthening the household and community – integrated management of childhood illness. North American Journal of Medical Sciences, 4 (8), 344-349.
[20] Hoiberg, Dale, H., ed (2010). Abia, Encyclopedia Britannica. I:A-ak Bayes. (15thed). Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (pp. 32). ISBN 9781-59339-837-8.
Author Information
  • Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, College of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria

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    Onuoha Udonna Peace. (2018). Influence of Environmental Factors and Socioeconomic Status of Parents on the Occurrence of Under-Five Diarrhea Disease Among Selected Households in Abia State, Nigeria. Journal of Health and Environmental Research, 4(3), 97-104. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13

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    ACS Style

    Onuoha Udonna Peace. Influence of Environmental Factors and Socioeconomic Status of Parents on the Occurrence of Under-Five Diarrhea Disease Among Selected Households in Abia State, Nigeria. J. Health Environ. Res. 2018, 4(3), 97-104. doi: 10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13

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    AMA Style

    Onuoha Udonna Peace. Influence of Environmental Factors and Socioeconomic Status of Parents on the Occurrence of Under-Five Diarrhea Disease Among Selected Households in Abia State, Nigeria. J Health Environ Res. 2018;4(3):97-104. doi: 10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13,
      author = {Onuoha Udonna Peace},
      title = {Influence of Environmental Factors and Socioeconomic Status of Parents on the Occurrence of Under-Five Diarrhea Disease Among Selected Households in Abia State, Nigeria},
      journal = {Journal of Health and Environmental Research},
      volume = {4},
      number = {3},
      pages = {97-104},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jher.20180403.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jher.20180403.13},
      abstract = {Diarrhea diseases are widely recognized as a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in many developing countries in children under five years of age. This study examined the influences of socioeconomic status of parents and environmental factors on the occurrence of under five diarrhea disease among selected households in Abia State. Six (6) L.G.A were randomly sampled and 3,000 households were selected for the study through multistage sampling technique. A well structured questionnaire was use to collect relevant data regarding respondent socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of diarrhea disease, sign and symptoms, causes of diarrhea, Child’s exposure to diarrhea within the past three months as well as the environmental factors of diarrhea. Data collected were analyzed using percentage and chi-square (x2). Almost all the respondents (99.3%) claimed to have knowledge of diarrhea disease. The main source of information/awareness was the health center (26.7%), while the least was newspaper/magazine, (2.5%). Frequent watery stool was the common sign/symptom while contaminated food (7.7%) and bad water (4.8%) were the common causes of diarrhea. About 74.8% of the respondent attested that they have experienced diarrhea on their children less than five years with the major occurrence within 0-10months (26.8%), more especially among the boys (52.3%). Contaminated water and food (23.3%) and dirty and bushy surroundings (21.0%) were the major environmental factors associated with diarrhea occurrence. Financial status of caregivers/parents, low educational level and inadequate knowledge about diarrhea, as well as some environmental factors like contaminated water and food, dusty and bushy surrounding, poor toilet facility, improper refuse disposal and animals sheltered in household were found to significantly influence the occurrence of diarrhea disease among under-five children. Conclusively, it was recommended that the households including mothers must be well informed about the importance of employing good hygiene practices, the importance of using good hygiene practices regarding water, sanitation and food preparation to reduce/control diarrhea diseases. Furthermore, health intervention programs, to include exclusive breastfeeding and maternal hygiene education should be strengthened in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality of diarrhea disease.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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