Akpede G O, Omotara B A, Gazali W
Department of Paediatrics, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
J R Soc Health. 1995 Jun;115(3):164-8, 173-4. doi: 10.1177/146642409511500309.
Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) use in Nigeria is currently far short of the national Control of Diarrhoeal Diseases (CDD) programme goals. Towards designing health education strategies to improve this, maternal lay health concerns during diarrhoea in under-fives were examined among two large ethnic groups, the Kanuris and Buras, in northeastern Nigeria. Over half of the respondents judged the severity of diarrhoea by more than one sign and expected ORT to stop diarrhoea. Severity signs frequently described (averaging from a quarter to a half of respondents) included weakness and refusal of food; frequent stooling and fever were more frequently used by the Kanuris (p < 0.001) compared to Buras and weight loss and dehydration by the Buras (p < 0.01) compared to Kanuris. Generally, rural residents were less concerned with dehydration and weight loss (p < 0.0001 and 0.003 respectively, compared to urban residents) and more concerned with restlessness, including excessive crying (p < 0.07 to 0.0001). Stool characteristics and vomiting were rarely used as severity signs although the Kanuris in focus group discussions related severity to diarrhoea typology. Concerns with persistent diarrhoea, and diarrhoea associated with measles, were rarely expressed by participants, irrespective of ethnic group and domicile, suggesting that health education aimed at increasing awareness in relation to these two serious illnesses is urgently needed in Nigeria. Several of the lay health concerns expressed by participants in the study could form a useful basis for promoting ORT use in Nigeria and elsewhere.
口服补液疗法（ORT）在尼日利亚的使用目前远远未达到国家腹泻病控制（CDD）计划的目标。为了设计健康教育策略来改善这种情况，在尼日利亚东北部的两个主要族群卡努里族和布拉族中，对五岁以下儿童腹泻期间母亲们的非专业健康关注点进行了调查。超过一半的受访者通过不止一种症状来判断腹泻的严重程度，并期望ORT能止住腹泻。经常被描述的严重症状（受访者比例平均从四分之一到一半）包括虚弱和拒食；卡努里族比布拉族更频繁地提到频繁排便和发烧（p < 0.001），而布拉族比卡努里族更频繁地提到体重减轻和脱水（p < 0.01）。总体而言，农村居民对脱水和体重减轻的关注度较低（与城市居民相比，p分别< 0.0001和0.003），而对烦躁不安，包括过度哭闹更为关注（p < 0.07至0.0001）。尽管在焦点小组讨论中卡努里族将严重程度与腹泻类型联系起来，但粪便特征和呕吐很少被用作严重症状。无论族群和居住地如何，参与者很少表达对持续性腹泻以及与麻疹相关腹泻的担忧，这表明尼日利亚迫切需要开展健康教育以提高对这两种严重疾病的认识。研究中参与者表达的一些非专业健康关注点可为在尼日利亚及其他地方推广ORT的使用提供有益的基础。
