Abstract:
Diarrhoea is a global childhood killer, especially of children in developing countries. Eighty eight percent of all cases of diarrhoea worldwide are attributable to drinking water, human excreta disposal and hygiene risk factors. In Ghana, diarrhoea remains of public health concern because it is still a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality and exposure to the pathogens that cause diarrhoea is frequently related to drinking contaminated water, improper human excreta disposal and inadequate food hygiene practices.
This cross-sectional study was conducted at Kpone-On-Sea to determine the prevalence of diarrhoea among 300 randomly selected children under 5 years at Kpone-On-Sea and describe those aspects of water supply, waste disposal and housing sanitation conditions that influence the occurrence of diarrhoea in these children. The data were collected through questionnaire interviews of caretakers of the selected children, observation for the presence or absence of certain sanitation conditions in caretakers‘ homes and in-depth interviews.
The results of the study indicate that 26.9% of the children reportedly had diarrhoea during the previous two weeks, with dysentery accounting for 30% of the diarrhoea cases. The main sanitation factors identified in the study were lack a toilet facility at home (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.01-7.14), drinking water from an unprotected source (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.19–4.26), and living in a compound with floor material made of earth (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.12–3.69). Inadequate refuse and waste water disposal, poor housing
sanitation conditions, living in a mud house or wooden structure, use of inadequate quantities and poor quality of water were not significantly associated with diarrhoea.
The findings indicate that under-5 diarrhoea is a problem at Kpone-On-Sea and inadequate water supply, lack of a toilet facilty at home and living in a compound with floor material made of earth. Measures should be put in place therefore to improve sanitation services that are likely to result in a reduction of diarrhoea among children. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh
