Diarrhoea and feeding practices of young children attending two selected urban clinics in Dhaka.

Data were collected from 150 mothers attending the outpatient departments (OPD) of one maternal-child health (MCH) clinic and one paediatric hospital in Dhaka for treatment of diarrhoea of their children during the period from March '90 to May '90. Feeding practices before and after occurrence of diarrhoea were evaluated to determine the knowledge and practice of changes in dietary patterns. The majority (58.67%) of children, who were all less than 5 years old, were in the younger age group (0-1 year) with slightly more occurrence in male children. The incidence rate was higher among children of low-income families and uneducated mothers. Among the children, 60.67% had 6-8 loose stools per day and 66% suffered from watery diarrhoea, which was mostly in the younger (0-1 year) age group (p < 0.001). The majority (60%) of mothers had incorrect knowledge about changing their children's diets; only 40% knew how to do it correctly, which was significantly (p < 0.001) related to the educational level. During diarrhoeal episodes among the 0-1 year age group, the number of mothers exclusively breastfeeding increased considerably (14.77% to 35.23%), and the number of mothers only partially breastfeeding decreased (62.5% to 43.18%), withholding (48.38%) or adding (9.68%) some items, or both (13.98%), showing significant change (p < 0.005) in diet with the education of mothers. "Some food items cause diarrhoea, others increase the frequency of loose motion, and withholding or adding some food cures it," they believed. The results of the study show that, through proper nutrition education, mothers can be helped to provide better home management of diarrhoea.