Incidence of Diarrhea and Contributing Factors in Nakaloke Town Council, Eastern Uganda, among Children Below 5 Years of Age
Diarrheal diseases are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in children, with 3.2million deaths in low and middle-income countries in 2013 due to infectious diseases.This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diarrhea and identify risk factors amongchildren under five years old in Nakaloke Town Council, Mbale District, Uganda. Acommunity-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 parent orcaretaker/children pairs between April 3rd and 12th, 2020. Data were collected usingpre-tested and structured questionnaires and analyzed using Univariate analysis andmodified Poisson regression. The mean age of the study participants was 32.74 months,and the prevalence of diarrhea in the two weeks preceding the study was 36.00%.Maternal and childhood-related factors independently associated with diarrhea includeda child's age of ≥45 months, a birth order of 2 versus 1, non-vaccination againstRotavirus, and maternal secondary education versus illiteracy. Water, sanitation, andhygiene-related factors included drinking water from unprotected wall springs andhaving no handwashing facility beside the toilet.