Caregivers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices on causes, treatment and prevention of diarrhoea in under-five children in western Kenya

Kamau, Hannah, Ogonda, Lillian, Dohoo, Ian, Fevre, Eric and Falzon, Laura (2026) Caregivers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices on causes, treatment and prevention of diarrhoea in under-five children in western Kenya. [Data Collection]

Data Catalogue DOI: 10.17638/datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/3074

Description

Objectives: Diarrhoea remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among under-five children, particularly in low-resource settings where access to clean water, sanitation and health education is limited. Despite national initiatives to strengthen community-based management and promote caregiver education, critical gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) remain. This study examined caregivers’ KAP on causes, treatment and prevention of diarrhoea in under-five children in western Kenya. Methods: A sample of 207 caregivers was selected and data were collected through structured questionnaires and observation checklists. A recall period of two weeks was applied to determine the proportion of under-five children with diarrhoea. Item response theory models were developed to determine knowledge and practice levels. Multi-level logistic regression models were used to identify explanatory variables associated with good or bad levels of KAP. Results: The reported frequency of diarrhoea in the previous two weeks was 42.5% (95% CI: 35.9 – 49.4%). Caregivers understood the importance of safe food in preventing diarrhoea but were less familiar with the role of germs in causing diarrhoea, the importance of breastfeeding for prevention, and the need to administer more fluids to treat diarrhoeal cases. Females were less likely to have good knowledge and practice levels. Yet female, older caregivers and those with higher income had a more positive attitude regarding their ability to prevent the occurrence of diarrhoea in their children. Caregivers with a higher education were more likely to adopt certain good practices. Spatial clustering was observed in the caregivers’ knowledge levels, suggesting the presence of shared explanatory variables at the village level. Conclusions: This study identified gaps in caregivers’ knowledge and practices towards diarrhoea. The high frequency of diarrhoea reported in this study underlines the need for integrated strategies combining strengthened caregiver health literacy and improved sanitation to reduce diarrhoea in under-five children.

Keywords:

Kenya, Diarrhoea, Children, caregivers

Date Deposited:

27 Mar 2026 10:16

Last Modified:

27 Mar 2026 10:19

DOI:

10.17638/datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/3074

Geography:

Kenya, East Africa

URI:

https://datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3074