Diarrhoea in children of Nigerian market women: prevalence, knowledge of causes, and management.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among mothers of children aged less than five years in two markets in Ibadan, one with poor environmental sanitation and the other clean and well maintained. The study took place between September 1996 and March 1997. The questionnaire used for this survey sought information about the occurrence of diarrhoea among children aged less than five years, their mothers' knowledge about the management of diarrhoea and their practices, including care-seeking practices, and the use of oral rehydration solutions. Two hundred and sixty-six mothers were interviewed in the first market (Bodija) and 260 in the other (Gbagi). Thirty-seven percent of the children in the cleaner market (Gbagi) were said to have had diarrhoea within the last 3 months compared to 33% of the children in the unhygienic Bodija market (p > 0.05). These results suggest that environmental sanitation may not be a major determinant of diarrhoea among children of the two groups of market women. When their children had diarrhoea, 44% (Bodija) and 40% (Gbagi) of the mothers attended health centres, 33% (Bodija) and 32% (Gbagi) gave ORT at home, and 12% (Bodija) and 19% (Gbagi) purchased drugs at a chemist. The study further showed that, while only one-third of all respondents resorted to home-treatment of diarrhoea with ORS, more than 80% of them knew the components and composition of ORS solution. There is a need to continue to encourage mothers to use ORS and, thus, bridge the knowledge-practice gap in mothers' management of diarrhoea at home.