Assessing Home Management of Childhood Diarrhea among Mothers with Children under Five Years from Karemo Sub County in Siaya County, Western Kenya

Diarrhea mortality about 1.5 million young children every year, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. In Africa, it accounts for over 19% of all deaths and in Kenya diarrhea prevalence is over 17%. The under-five children’s admissions in Siaya County Referral Hospital (SCRH) – Karemo sub county due to diarrhea is over 23% with the prevalence of 20%. This study assessed the knowledge and management of childhood diarrhea among mothers with children under five years old. Specifically, it examined mother’s knowledge on perceived causes of diarrhea and identifying danger signs, evaluated their knowledge on managing diarrhea and determine the relation between mothers’ demographic and socio-economic factors and knowledge on childhood diarrhea. A cross-sectional survey among mothers with children was done in Karemo sub county in Siaya County using structured questionnaires. A total of 395 mothers were sampled and further stratified proportionately in the four locations of Karemo. Chi-square test was used to determine the proportion of mothers knowledgeable in management of childhood diarrhea. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with knowledge and management of childhood diarrhea. Only 78 (20%) of the participants were knowledgeable on the causes of diarrhea and 2 (