Prevalence of diarrheal disease and associated factors among under-five children in flood-prone settlements of Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional community-based study

• Published in: Frontiers in pediatrics 2023-01, Vol.11, p.1056129
• Main Authors: Birhan, Tsegaye Adane, Bitew, Bikes Destaw, Dagne, Henok, Amare, Dagnachew Eyachew, Azanaw, Jember, Genet, Mengesha, Engdaw, Garedew Tadege, Tesfaye, Amensisa Hailu, Yirdaw, Getasew, Maru, Tadele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: diarrheal disease; drinking water; Ethiopia; flood-prone; Pediatrics; under-five children
• ISSN: 2296-2360; 2296-2360
• DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1056129

Diarrheal illnesses are a long-standing public health problem in developing countries due to numerous sanitation issues and a lack of safe drinking water. Floods exacerbate public health issues by spreading water-borne infectious diseases such as diarrhea through the destruction of sanitation facilities and contamination of drinking water. There has been a shortage of studies regarding the magnitude of diarrheal disease in flood-prone areas. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the prevalence of diarrheal disease and its predictors among under-five children living in flood-prone localities in the south Gondar zone of Northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional research was carried out in flood-prone villages of the Fogera and Libokemkem districts from March 17 to March 30, 2021. Purposive and systematic sampling techniques were used to select six kebeles and 717 study units, respectively. Structured and pretested questionnaires were used to collect the data. A multivariable analysis was performed to determine the predictors of diarrheal disease, with -value