Bauleth Maria F, Mitonga Honore K, Pinehas Lusia N
School of Nursing and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Oshakati, Namibia.
Health SA. 2025 May 27;30:2714. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v30i0.2714. eCollection 2025.
Every year, nearly 1.7 billion cases of childhood diarrhoea and around 525000 deaths among under-five children are reported globally. Information about parents' or caregiver's attitude concerning child health is crucial for improving infant and child wellbeing in the community.
The aim of the study was to conclude the level of parents' or caregivers' attitude on managing and preventing diarrhoeal disease among under-five children in the Engela district.
The Engela district forms part of the seven constituencies in the Ohangwena region. More than half (62.3%) of the Ohangwena population lives in Engela.
A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted. Furthermore, 530 parents or caregivers participated in the study. A questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews. Factors associated with negative attitudes were determined by performing logistic regression.
Overall, 530 parents or caregivers participated in this study. Diarrhoea prevalence among the children under five was 24%. Factors such as parent or caregiver age group, residential area, possession of radio and education level were significantly associated with attitude ( < 0.05). The strongest predictor of attitude was being a resident of an informal settlement (odds ratio of 21.9) and the parent or caregiver not being educated documenting an odds ratio of 15.8.
In conclusion, a greater number (72%) of parents or caregivers were considered to have a negative attitude. Furthermore, 32.5% strongly agreed and 42% agreed that child's parents-related factors contribute to child suffering from diarrhoeal disease.
Therefore, when planning for interventions, existing public health programmes targeting prevention and management of diarrhoea should consider age, residential area, level of education and motivation for ownership of radio, perceptions and beliefs of mothers or caregivers.
全球每年报告近17亿例儿童腹泻病例，五岁以下儿童死亡约52.5万例。了解父母或照料者对儿童健康的态度对于改善社区婴幼儿健康至关重要。
本研究的目的是总结恩盖拉地区五岁以下儿童的父母或照料者在管理和预防腹泻疾病方面的态度水平。
恩盖拉地区是奥汉圭纳地区七个选区的一部分。奥汉圭纳地区一半以上（62.3%）的人口居住在恩盖拉。
进行了一项横断面描述性研究。此外，530名父母或照料者参与了该研究。通过面对面访谈发放问卷。通过进行逻辑回归确定与消极态度相关的因素。
总体而言，530名父母或照料者参与了本研究。五岁以下儿童的腹泻患病率为24%。父母或照料者的年龄组、居住地区、是否拥有收音机和教育水平等因素与态度显著相关（<0.05）。态度的最强预测因素是居住在非正式定居点（优势比为21.9），以及父母或照料者未受过教育，记录的优势比为15.8。
总之，更多（72%）的父母或照料者被认为态度消极。此外，32.5%的人强烈同意，42%的人同意儿童与父母相关的因素会导致儿童患腹泻疾病。
因此，在规划干预措施时，现有的针对腹泻预防和管理的公共卫生项目应考虑年龄、居住地区、教育水平、拥有收音机的动机、母亲或照料者的观念和信仰。
