Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Oral Rehydration Therapy for Acute Diarrhea Among Mothers of Under-Five Children in Chengalpattu District

Resumen

Background: In lower as well as middle-income nations (including India), diarrhoea is among the major morbidity as well as mortality causes among kids below age of 5. Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) is an affordable platform of diarrhoea treatment, but its adoption in the home setting is not optimal, which would be significantly explained by gaps in maternal knowledge and practice. Objective: The purpose behind conducting this research was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of ORT among mothers of kids under 5 years in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu. Methods: The study was cross-sectional with duration of 6 months on 171 mothers visiting the Paediatrics OPD of Shri Sathya Sai Medical College chosen using systematic random sampling. A pretested, structured questionnaire that administered information on socio-demographics, knowledge, attitude and practice areas about ORT was used to gather information. Results: The percentages of mothers who possessed adequate knowledge were 60.8 percent, positive attitude was 66.1 percent and adequate practice was 56.7 percent. They have found that educational status, socioeconomic class, and knowledge scores were significantly related (p<0.05). Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were found to have a strong positive association (r=0.611; p<0.001). Conclusion: Knowledge gaps specifically on the preparation of ORS, zinc supplementation, and the continued use of ORS when there is vomiting should be developed as promoting health education activities among mothers of young children.