Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research

Background: Among children under five years of age, diarrhea remains one of the leading cause of death globally. Diarrhea kills an estimated 2.5 million people annually with 60 – 70% of them being children under five years of age. Most of the deaths occur in low income countries where an estimated 25% of under-five mortality is directly attributed to diarrhea diseases.

Materials and Methods: The study examined the role of family setting in the prevalence of diarrhea diseases among under-five children admitted into paediatrics department of Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH), Orlu between January 1^st 2006 and December 31^st 2015. Information was collected from the admission records of the children using a proforma and data generated was analysed using SPSS version 20.

Results: A total of 6230 under-five children were admitted in the 10 year period under review with 245 presenting with diarrhea giving a diarrhea prevalence of 3.93%. There were 152 (62.0%) males and 93 (32.0%) females with diarrhea. Majority of the children (72.3%) were infants and the mean age was 5.93 ± 5.58 months. Most of the admitted children (80.4%) were from monogamous family setting and majority (74.7%) presented during the dry season. Variables significantly associated with diarrhea episodes were gender, family size, maternal education, fathers’ occupation and sewage disposal methods. Predictors of diarrhea diseases include gender, family size, fathers’ occupation and sewage disposal methods.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated important relationship between socioeconomic status of families and diarrhea morbidity. Improving families’ disposable income and proper family planning are viable measures that can help curb diarrhea diseases in under-five children.