Food hygiene practice among mothers and its association with occurrence of diarrhea in under-five children in selected rural community area

ABSTRACT

Background: Diarrhea is the condition of having at least three loose or liquid bowel movements each day. Diarrhea is the main cause of death among under-five children in India. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Mother’s basic knowledge of diarrhea depends on various factors such as educational status, prior experience of managing the disease, and food hygiene. Diarrheal diseases remain an important cause of mortality and morbidity among children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: The main aim is to measure the food hygiene practice among mothers and occurrence of diarrhea in under-five children. Materials and Methods: A non-experimental descriptive research design was conducted among 186 under-five children, mothers were selected using convenient sampling technique who fulfill inclusion criteria from the rural area of Doiwala block. Information was collected with the help of structure questionnaire on child feeding hygiene practice and practice checklist on food hygiene. Ethical permission and written consent were taken from the ethical committee of university and participants. Results: The research finding highlights that less than half of mothers (44.6%) use bowel spoon for feeding to their child. Majority of mothers (84.9%) wash his child hand with soap. Most of the mothers (74.2%) were not wash vegetables after cutting. Only 63% had check expiry of the food material before giving it to the child. Most of mothers (97.3%) wash hand of child before eating food. Nearby 38.2% of children had diarrhea in the past 6 months due to the unhygienic food practice. Conclusion: The investigator observed that there is a need to improved food hygiene practice among under 5-year children mothers because diarrhea is directly related to unhygienic food condition. The under-five children are totally depend on the mothers. If mothers will not improve food hygiene practice, then children will suffer from the diarrhea disease again and again.