Diarrhea is defined as three or more loose or watery bowel movements per day and any additional bowel motions that mothers deem abnormal or extra frequent in children. It is important to note that among children in underdeveloped countries, diarrhea is one of the main causes of illness and death. Severe diarrhea causes significant fluid loss and can be fatal. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the mothers' knowledge, attitude, and behavior about the home-based care of diarrhea in Zakho, Duhok, Kurdistan, Iraq, for children under the age of five.
The study was cross-sectional in design. The study period was extended from March 1 to April 1, 2022. The study was conducted in Zakho cities in Kurdistan, which is located in the north of Iraq. The data were evaluated using a statistical tool for social sciences (SPSS, version 26; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and two different methods. We conducted our research through in-person interviews.
A total of 400 mothers participated in the survey, and 100% responded. Thus, the analytical method contained the data from 400 respondents. In this study, we found that only 233 (58.25%) of the mothers had good practice in the prevention and home-based treatment of diarrheal diseases in children under the age of five, whereas 282 (70.5%) of the mothers had good knowledge and 208 (52%) had a positive attitude.
This research showed that 70.5% of the mothers had excellent knowledge about the prevention and home-based treatment of diarrheal diseases. In terms of attitude, 52% showed a good attitude toward the prevention and home-based management of diarrhea, and 58.25% of the mothers who participated in this study had good practices for prevention and home-based care of under-five diarrhea.
