Prevalence of diarrhoea and associated risk factors among children under-five years of age in Efoulan health district- Cameroon, sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Diarrhoeal disease is one of the main public health problems, although recent findings show that deaths due to diarrhoea among children less than 5 years decreased by 34.3% between 2005 and 2015 and decreased by 20.8% among people of all ages. It still remains an important preventable burden of disease, especially in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of diarrhoea and its associate determinants after community vaccination with rotavirus vaccine among under-five children visiting health structures in the Efoulan health district of Yaoundé. This is hospital-based, cross-sectional study carried out among mothers/caregivers with under-five children during postnatal consultation at the various health structures of Efoulan health district. The prevalence of diarrhoea among under-five children in the four preceding weeks was 26.1% (95% CI 20.5- 32.3) with the age groups 6-12 months the most affected (p < 0.0005). The duration of diarrhoea was between one and seven days with an average of 3.1±1.9 days. The diarrhoea symptoms mostly felt by participants were stomach ache/cramps, fever and vomiting and loss of appetite. Multivariable analysis showed that mothers’/caregivers’ age, level of education, sex, child’s age (≤ 12 months), mother’s/caregiver’s knowledge of diarrhoea, toilet facility, source of drinking water for the child, time trekked to fetch drinking water and rota vaccine were independently associated with diarrhoea. The study recommends effective actions to curb the diarrhoea prevalence by improving the basic hygiene practices, knowledge of diarrhoea, provision of portable water and the vaccination of the children against rotavirus.