ABSTRACT
Diarrhoea remains the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. Health care seeking behaviour for diarrhoea varies by context and has important implications for developing appropriate care strategies and estimating burden of disease. The study examined how a diarrhoea episode is handled, as well as how other factors influence the home management and health seeking behaviour with regards to diarrhoea episodes in Langas and Huruma estates of Eldoret Municipality, Kenya. The objective of the study was to determine the factors influencing caretakers’ home management and health seeking behaviour with regards to diarrhoeal diseases among children under five years in Eldoret Municipality.The study employed a descriptive cross sectional research design. The study target population consisted of 1,256 adult home caretakers and 35officials from the Ministry of Health in Eldoret Municipality leading to total of 1,291 respondents. A sample of 377 households was selected through systematic sampling technique, where every 4th household was selected to participate. The researcher also employed systematic sampling technique to select the 11 county officials from the Ministry of Health. The researcher therefore selected the sample size of 388 respondents from the target population of 1,291 respondents. The study used both secondary and primary data. The secondary data was obtained from the records while the primary data was obtained from the respondents through questionnaires and interview schedule. Data collected was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS V.20) was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean and percentages), chi square tests and regression were used in the analysis. P-value less than 0.05 were considered significant. The study yielded a response rate of 95.4% since out of 377 questionnaires that were given out, 360 (95.4%) were filled and returned. The study findings showed that majority of respondents 301(83.6%) agreed with the view that diarrhoea was a major problem among children under the age of five years in the region. It was found out that majority of the respondents 111(30.8%) identified poor hygiene and poorly disposed excreta-refuse as the main cause of diarrhoea among children in the region. It was also found from the study that all the respondents sampled were at least aware of the signs and symptoms of diarrhoea in children with majority of them correctly identifying the cardinal signs of diarrhoea. The study findings further showed that washing hands before eating/preparing food was the main measure to undertake when prevent children from contracting diarrhoeal diseases. The findings showed that a majority of respondents 107 (29.3%) use oral rehydration solution the immediate treatment measures for a sick child suffering from diarrhoea. The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between age (p=0.010) marital status (p=0.022), education level (p=0.011) and home management of diarrhoea as these were socio-demographic factors associated with home management of diarrhoea. Occupation, age and education level were socio-demographic factors significantly associated with health seeking behaviour. Education was a significant factor influencing home management of diarrhoea (p=0.013). Those with primary education were less likely to practice home management of diarrhoea compared to those with tertiary level (AOR; 1- 0.427= 57%). The researcher concluded that the prevalence of diarrhoea in the study areas is high and that it is a major problem among children under the age of five years. Efforts to educate the caretakers about the importance of seeking care and proper management of diarrhoeal and other childhood illnesses should be intensified.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
According to WHO (2010), Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of 3 or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual. It is usually a symptom of gastrointestinal infection, which can be caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms. Diarrhoea is a common disorder of the gastrointestinal system experienced by most of the population sometime in their lives. Generally it is self-limiting and may not require any intervention. Intervention may be considered necessary by patient because of their beliefs and attitude towards normal bowel function (Hogue, 2010). The causes of diarrhoea include various diseases, medications, dietary changes, food or water contamination and psychological
distress.
Diarrhoeal diseases remain the major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries, especially in African countries. Each year at least 3 million children under the age of five years die in the developing world due to environmental related illnesses, inadequate water supply and poor sanitation (Kaseje et al., 2008). Diarrhoea continues to be a public health problem in many countries, particularly in developing ones. Despite the tremendous advances in medicine and technology over the last decades, diarrhoea diseases are still the main causes of deaths in children under the age of five years. On average, children below three years of age in developing countries experience three episodes of diarrhoea each year (WHO, 2009).