The prevalence of Diarrheal Diseases in childcare institutions, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Diarrheal disease is one of the leading middle income countries. This study examined diarrheal diseases among children in Uasin Gishu County’s childcare institutions per age, sex, duration of a child in a childcare institution, and use of soap in hand washing after visiting the toilet.The study involved 202 children between ages 6to 20 years old. There were65.8%boy child and 34.2 girls, 71.3% of these children were between 6-15 years old. The study found 64.4% children used soap to wash hands after toilet. Use of soap in hand washing increased with increase in children’s age,with a girl using soap more in hand washing at the rate of 84.1%compared to a boy child.The study learned that 90.1% children had suffered from diarrheal diseases within28 dayswhere61.4%boys had suffered from diarrhea. Chi-square analysis showed a significant relationship between diarrheal diseases and children’s age(P<0.001) while there was a significant relationship between diarrhea and gender (P<0.001). It was concluded that the prevalence of diarrheal diseases in Uasin Gishu County child care institutions was 90.1% and that boys were affected more than the girls. Health education on use of soap in hand-washing after toilet should be intensified as a means of decreasing diarrheal diseases.