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Global Health Econ Sustain Prevalence and risk factors of childhood diarrhea

et al., 2021) also displayed a similar fact. In addition, the et al., 2018). If any household was large in terms of family
study revealed a close association between maternal factors, members, they all could better be engaged in monitoring
including maternal age and education, and diarrheal disease. all these issues regarding their baby’s good health and well-
Children of younger, illiterate mothers were found to be being, like appropriate food habits and maintaining proper
more susceptible to diarrheal disease, aligning with findings hygiene of their child could be the feasible reason for less
from previous Ethiopian studies (Mohammed & Tamiru, affecting diarrheal disease. This opportunity was found
2014; Sinmegn Mihrete et al., 2014; Asfaha et al., 2018). The in a small number of people’s households. The families
probable reason is that illiterate and younger mothers lack belonged to the poorest, poorer, and middle wealth
appropriate knowledge and consciousness about maintaining quintiles, and families without electricity services had
environmental hygiene, caring practices, and improving more risk of having diarrhea than the rich families. This
their living conditions for the sake of the nourishment of result was supported by several previous studies in India
their children (Nhampossa et al., 2015; Ghosh et al., 2023). (Ghosh et al., 2021; Avachat et al., 2011) and Iraq (Siziya
The age of children was significantly associated with et al., 2009). The household’s wealth status always had a
the prevalence of childhood diarrhea in the present study. direct impact on access to improved sanitation facilities
The majority of diarrhea-affected children were one and safe drinking water. Poor families generally use
year of age from birth, while the trend of prevalence is unimproved sanitation and unsafe water sources (Mbugua
observed to decrease with the increasing age of the child. et al., 2014; Azage et al., 2017). Besides, they could not bear
This finding was also incorporated in some other earlier the cost of providing different health-care services for their
studies with similar results conducted in India (Kamath children and even the transportation costs for reaching
et al., 2018; Ghosh et al., 2021). The possible explanation the healthcare center. Poor families also had a deficiency
for this occurrence might be that children aged 0 – 1 were in maintaining a balanced diet and thereby suffered from
more susceptible to diarrheal disease because of a shortage malnutrition, reducing the immunity power of children.
of immunity. Some children receive supportive feeding, As a result, the child may be affected by diseases like
which might create digestive problems for them and make diarrhea (Paul, 2020; Hussain et al., 2017). Furthermore,
them vulnerable to this disease. Even the addition of new Muslim children were reported to be more likely to develop
foods to an infant’s diet or a change in a mother’s diet for diarrheal disease compared to Hindu and other religious
lactating mothers could be considered a probable reason groups’ children, and the result was consistent with other
for being affected by diarrheal disease. Normally, children previous studies (Getachew et al., 2018; Vijayan et al., 2021).
between the ages of 1 and 3 years begin to crawl or walk, Being socioeconomically disadvantaged, Muslim children
so they might lift different soiled, dirty, or contaminated had limited access to adequate nutrition, improved toilet
things from the ground or walls and straighten them to facilities, and different health-seeking behaviors.
their mouths. As a result, they were affected by diarrheal Environmental factors have the strongest influence on
disease (Mosisa et al., 2021; Asfaha et al., 2018). Women the prevalence of childhood diarrheal disease. The result
with higher birth orders (five or more) were found to have a of the adjusted analysis of our study also revealed that
significantly increased risk of their children being affected unimproved toilet facilities posed a 1.22 times greater risk
by diarrhea compared to those with relatively lower birth of diarrheal disease among children under 5 years of age
orders. An earlier study incorporating lower- and middle- (Bowen et al., 2012). Similar findings were acknowledged
income countries reported identical results (Fagbimgbe in a few earlier studies (Kattula et al., 2015; Pahmi &
et al., 2021). The likely reason for this association might Endah, 2017). The most feasible reason behind that is the
be that women with higher birth orders may struggle use of unimproved toilet facilities, which may create poor
to provide proper attention or enough time to each of hygiene practices or open defecation among the children
their children. Financial constraints may limit the ability so that infection can spread easily through contaminated
of parents to afford good health-care practices equally food and water and from parents to children and make
for all their children due to their financial incapability. them vulnerable to diarrheal disease. The type of material
Consequently, children from high-birth-order couples may used in dwellings, including the floor, walls, and roof,
be overlooked or receive less attention from their parents. significantly influences the occurrence of diarrheal disease.
This study also highlighted the fact that household Specifically, concrete floors, walls, and roofs posed a lower
size was also significantly associated with the occurrence possibility of diarrheal disease among children. This
of childhood diarrhea. Smaller households had a higher finding is consistent with several earlier studies (Machava
risk of having diarrhea among their children compared to et al., 2022; Dejene et al., 2020). Houses constructed with
large households. Almost similar types of results were also concrete or cement materials tend to have lower levels of
found in some previous research work in Africa (Kapwata dirt, dust, viruses, and bacteria. Consequently, children

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2048