Predictors Of Oral Rehydration and Zinc for Treatment of Diarrhoea Among Children in Rivers State, Nigeria

The treatment of diarrhoea among under-five children with oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc supplementation has been a cornerstone in reducing child mortality. The study investigated the predictors of oral rehydration and zinc for treatment of diarrhoea among children in Rivers State. The study adopted descriptive cross-sectional survey. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The target population of this study comprised 400 nursing mothers attending treatment of Diarrhoea in four selected health facilities in Rivers State during the 2024 annual year. The sample size consisted of 80 nursing mothers selected using the simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled: Predictors of Oral Rehydration and Zinc for Treatment of Diarrhoea in Children Questionnaire (PORZTDCQ) was used. Cronbach’s Alpha analysis was used to establish a reliability index of 0.89. The frequency and percentage was used to analyse the demographic data, mean and standard deviation was used to answer research questions and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tested hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. The findings showed that parental education, family size, and socioeconomic status all predict the use of ORT and zinc for treating diarrhea among children under five in Rivers State. Educated and stable parents with smaller families and higher incomes are more likely to understand and apply ORT effectively. Conversely, large families and low-income households face challenges in consistent use. These results emphasize the importance of education, family stability, economic empowerment, and culturally sensitive health programs for improving child health outcomes. The researcher recommended among others that health educators should be conducting continuous parental enlightenment across hospitals to improve knowledge and awareness on oral rehydration therapy use for child wellness in all healthcare centers within Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and related institutions.