Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Knowledge and Use of Oral Rehydration Solution in the Management of Childhood Diarrhoea among Mothers in a Tertiary Health Facility in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria

C. Okechukwu, A. Alabi, LE. Yaguo-Ide

Journal of Advances in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences · pp. 42–49 · Published 19 Apr 2022

10.9734/jamps/2022/v24i230287

Abstract

Introduction: Oral rehydration solution (ORS) has been a life-saving remedy in the home and hospital management of dehydration, particularly in infants and children under the age of five. The improper use has however resulted in morbidity and mortality in children. The purpose of this study is to assess proper use of ORS by mothers in the management of diarrhoea in under-five children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over 3 months. Mothers of children under five years of age presenting with diarrhoea at the Diarrhoea Training Unit of a tertiary hospital were interviewed using a pretested structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: A total of 90 mothers were interviewed. 86.7% of respondents were of a high socioeconomic class. 51.1% of children with diarrhoea were between 6-15months of age. (Mean age of 17 + 12.3 months). Although 93.3% of mothers were aware of ORS, 64.4% reported using it to treat their children. Only 40 (44.4%) respondents constituted ORS appropriately and discarded unused portions at 24 hours. Conclusion: Although mothers of under-five children are aware of the efficacy of ORS in the management of diarrhoea, their knowledge of its proper use is limited. Increased awareness among mothers of under-five children about the proper use of ORS is necessary to avoid debilitating complications such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, etc.

Oral rehydration solution diarrhea under-five mothers proper use

References (20)

  1. 1 Reducing deaths from diarrhoea through oral rehydration therapy.
  2. 2 Handbook IMCI: integrated management of childhood illness. [DOI]
  3. 3 Perceived causes and management of diarrhoea in young children by market women in Enugu State, Nigeria.
  4. 4 Home management of childhood diarrhoea: Need to intensify campaign [DOI]
  5. 5 Systematic review of strategies to increase use of oral rehydration solution at the household level [DOI]
  6. 6 Examining the Use of Oral Rehydration Salts and Other Oral Rehydration Therapy for Childhood Diarrhea in Kenya [DOI]
  7. 7 Home Management of Diarrhoea by Caregivers Presenting at the Diarrhoea Training Unit of a Tertiary Hospital in Southern Nigeria [DOI]
  8. 8 Mothers' reading skills and child survival in Nigeria: Examining the relevance of mothers' decision-making power [DOI]
  9. 9 Hypothesis for mechanism of intestinal active transport of sugars.
  10. 10 EFFECTS OF CATIONS ON SUGAR ABSORPTION BY ISOLATED SURVIVING GUINEA PIG INTESTINE [DOI]
  11. 11 Knowledge and Use of Oral Rehydration Therapy among Mothers of under-five children in a Military Barrack in Ibadan, Nigeria
  12. 12 Mass media can help improve treatment of childhood diarrhoea.
  13. 13 Rational Use of Antibiotics – A Point Prevalence Study Carried out at a Tertiary Hospital in South-South Nigeria [DOI]
  14. 14 Glucose movements across the wall of the rat small intestine [DOI]
  15. 15 EFFECTS OF CATIONS ON SUGAR ABSORPTION BY ISOLATED SURVIVING GUINEA PIG INTESTINE [DOI]
  16. 16 Knowledge, attitude and practice of home management of diarrhoea among mothers of under-fives in Samaru, Kaduna State, Nigeria [DOI]
  17. 17 Child Survival Strategies: Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Rural Women of Reproductive Age in Cross River State, Nigeria [DOI]
  18. 18 Factors associated with the use of oral rehydration solution among mothers in west Lombok, Indonesia.
  19. 19 Knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers and health workers in relation to the use of sugar and salt solution in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe.
  20. 20 Symptomatic Hypernatraemia Secondary to Ingestion of Poorly Constituted Oral Rehydration Solution – A Case Report [DOI]

Cited by 4

Factors associated with maternal knowledge, perception and practice of oral rehydration solution for diarrhoea in a health facility in Port Harcourt

Tamunoiyowuna G. Okari, Boma A. West · International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics · 2025

Knowledge and practices on diarrheal illness and associated factors in Lebanon

Camille Akkari, Georges Kerbage, Diana Malaeb · Frontiers in Public Health · 2025

Showing 2 of 4 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

27

Page views

0

PDF downloads

2

Outbound clicks

4

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.