Environmental Factors Associated with Diarrhoea Among Under-five Children Attending at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania

Generally, diarrhoea is still a second major reason of death and illness in children below the age of five years. It holds breathes of around half a million under five children every year and causes million more to be admitted. Every year diarrhoea kills around 525000 children under five years. Globally there are nearly 1.7 billion cases of childhood diarrhoea disease every year. Unfortunately, environmental factors associated with diarrhoea among under five children in Tanzania have not yet well addressed. Therefore, this study aimed to determine environmental factors associated with diarrhoea among under-five children attending at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), in Tanzania. A quantitative cross-sectional study design of 100 simple randomly selected participants was applied. Questionnaires were used to collect data from mothers/ carers with a child of under-five children suffering from diarrhoea admitted at MNH. Data were analysed using SPSS. Environmental risk factors associated with diarrhoea were determined with a p value of ≤ 0.05. Unsuitable infrastructure for grey water disposal, improper hand washing before feeding the baby and hand washing without using clean water and soap had strongly association with diarrhoea in under-five children attending at MNH with P-value of 0.001, 0.001, and 0.01 respectively. Identified risk factors for diarrhoea among under-five children call for the importance of providing health education to the caregivers on the causes, prevention, and treatment on the problem. Background: Generally, diarrhoea is still a second major cause of death and illness in children below the age of five years. It holds breathes of around half a million under five children every year and causes million more to be admitted. Every year diarrhoea kills around 525000 children under five years. Globally there are nearly 1.7 billion cases of childhood diarrhoea disease every year. It is always a symptom of an infection in the intestinal tract caused by parasite, viruses, and bacteria [1]. The illness and deaths associated with diarrhoea diseases among under five children are extremely large and continue to exist among children living in poor countries, including in Sub Saharan countries, which create a great effect to health of the society [2]. The study conducted by Bado, Susuman identified that there is a link between diarrhoea disease among under five children and poor standard of living, poor general hygiene and inability to have safe water for drinking [2]. The effects that may result from diarrhoea include electrolytes and fluid imbalance, disturbance in acid and base regulation. Children suffering from severe diarrhoea they are at risk of getting electrolyte imbalance like hypokalaemia and dehydration which is the most cause of death if it is not treated immediately [3]. The common ways of preventing diarrhoea disease are by applying the ways target in interfering of faecal oral transmissions pathways, commonly refersas five “F” (fluids, fields, flies, finger, and food). These ways include using clean and safe water, sanitation, hygiene and good preparation of food [4]. In Tanzania, by the year 2017 diarrhoea was the third principal cause of under-five morbidities which accounted over 27% [5]. Although there is decreasing in mortality caused by diarrhoea in under-five children, but still there is a persistent morbidity caused by diarrhoea. Therefore, study aimed on determining the environmental factors associated with diarrhoea among under-five children attending at MNH in Tanzania.