ABSTRACT
Aim: To check the association between the levels of maternal self-effectiveness to prevent child diarrhea and the conditions of health and healthcare provided to the children. Method: This is a transversal study performed in the municipality of Fortaleza, Brazil, with 448 mothers of children under five years old. The interviews were taken using the Scale of Maternal Self-Effectiveness to Prevent Child Diarrhea. During the analysis, chi-square tests and Likelihood Ratio were used. Results: A significant association was found between levels of self-effectiveness and the variables: care provided to the child out of the home (p=0.03), only breastfeeding until six months old (p=0.001), previous diarrheic episode (p=0.001), the fact that the child has any pathology (p=0.020), hospitalization of the child during the first month of life (p=0.038) and vaccination against rotavirus (p=0.003). Conclusion: Self-effectiveness must be taken seriously during the development and implementation of interventions, with regards to improve maternal care provided to children.