Association of Hygiene and Hand Washing on Severity of Acute Diarrhea among Children Under Five Years of Age

Abstract

According to World Health Organization (WHO) approximately four million children less than 5 years of age in Asia, Africa, and Latin America die annually from diarrhea; and 80% of these deaths occur in the first year of life. Objective: To evaluate the frequency of hygiene and hand washing among children under the age of five years with acute diarrhea. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Mansora Hospital, Lahore. The duration of the study was 3 months. Children who were suffering from acute diarrhea, aged 1-5 years were selected. A questionnaire was used to take the history of the participants. The results are presented in the form of descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: A total of 176 male and 126 female participants were included in this study. The results of the study showed that 184 out of 302 participants were having a hand wash routine, 188 out of 302 were used to wash their hands with soap and water, and 43 out of 302 were used to wash fruits and vegetables before eating. Conclusions: It is concluded that a majority of the participants were having good hand wash practices while only a few participants used to wash fruits and vegetables before eating which can be a reason for diarrhea among that age group.