Prevalence and Prevention of Diarrhoea among Infants in Rural Areas of Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, diarrhoea has emerged as one of the common causes of gastroenteritis in children and adult
population. Generally speaking, it is a condition in which three or more liquid or loose bowel movement per
day happen. Basically, prevalence of diarrhoea as a disease is highly caused due to poor sewerage disposal,
hygiene conditions and contaminated water at the household level. This study sought to investigate the
prevalence and prevention of diarrhoea among infants in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The survey research design
was used to accomplish this study. Among the rural population of the area, a sample of one hundred (N=100)
mothers were selected randomly to gather information for the study. The primary data was collected by using
the questionnaire and secondary data was collected from textbooks, research journals/articles published on
the subject in the past. The findings shown, that the potential causes and prevention mechanisms of diarrhoea
among children (less than 5 years) in the study area are not known to most of the nursing mothers. Therefore,
it is imperative to engage community and women in particular aimed to ensure the success of educational
interventions.