ABSTRACT
Rationale and Background: Diarrhea remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality among Lao children, particularly those aged < 5 years. Child caretakers’ behaviors on the prevention of diarrhea are key determinants affecting child morbidity and mortality. Study of factors associated with caretakers’ behavior on diarrhea prevention is therefore needed to identify correct and appropriate solutions in the community. Methodology: This was cross-sectional research to identify factors associated with child caretakers’ behavior on diarrhea prevention among children aged 0 - 5 years in rural Champasack Province, Lao PDR. The study population was caretakers of children aged 0 – 5 years who lived together in the same household (n = 280). The study was performed between June 2010 – June 2011 using predesigned and pretested questionnaire. Results: Eighty-one percent of respondents were females with a mean (SD) age of 32.4 (10.2) years and 50% of them were rice farmers. Sixty-five percent of the caretakers had high level (score 24 – 30) of perceived risk of getting diarrhea with a mean (SD) score of 24.7/30 (3.26). The mean (SD) score of disease severity perception of the respondents was 26.03/30 (2.47) and 82.5% of them had high level of perception. Eighty percent of those interviewed perceived benefits of following advice about diarrhea prevention behaviors at high level, about half perceived obstacles in following advice in diarrhea prevention behaviors at high level (52.14%) and 60.71% had a high level of diarrhea prevention behaviors. In a multiple linear regression analysis, factors associated with caretakers’ behaviors on prevention of diarrhea were educational attainment (no education) (Mean diff = -0.156; 95%CI = -1.487 to -0.327; P-value < 0.001), perceived severity of diarrhea (Mean diff = 0.328; 95%CI = 0.160 to 0.361; P-value < 0.001), and perceived benefits of following advice in diarrhea prevention behaviors (Mean diff = 0.2763; 95%CI = 0.255 to 0.500; P-value < 0.001). Conclusion: Despite a high level of child caretakers perception of risk of getting diarrhea, disease severity, and benefit of following advice in diarrhea prevention behavior, there remains a need to provide health education on hygiene and sanitation to prevent diarrhea among children, aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality among Lao children which is still high at the moment.