Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Risk Factors associated with Diarrhoeal Diseases among Children under Five years in Lira City

Abstract

Introduction: In developing countries like Uganda; diarrhea in children under five is one of the leading causes of illness and mortality. The country has the highest prevalence of diarrheal diseases among children under five of 22% in East Africa. This study assessed the water, sanitation and hygiene factors associated with diarrheal disease among children under five years in Lira City. Methodology: This was a quantitative community-based cross-sectional survey conducted between August and September 2022. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, water, sanitation, hand washing practices and diarrhea history was obtained from 492 mothers/caregivers of children under the age of five years using a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed at three levels using STATA (Stata Corp LLC, TX and USA) version 17 software. Descriptive statistics, univariate logistic and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Results: Among 492 children under-five, the prevalence of diarrhea was 142 (29.3%). Being a child under four years of age (AOR=0.14, CI: 0.04-0.58), eating food not stored in refrigerators (AOR=0.15, CI:0.03-0.76), living in households practicing open dumping of wastage (OR=6.57, CI:1.63-26.4), and living in a household with a rubbish pit not filled fully (OR=2.84, CI:1.36-5.94) were significantly associated with diarrhea among children under five in Lira City. Conclusion: The prevalence of diarrhea among under-five is high in Lira City. The socio demographic, sanitation, hygiene and environmental factors were found to be associated with diarrhea. Community sensitization on water, sanitation and hygiene risk factors is needed. Keywords: Water, Hygiene, Sanitation, Lira City and Diarrhea