Socioeconomic Factors and Knowledge of Teenage Mothers Associated with Diarrhea in Children Less than Five Years Old in Ndhiwa Sub-County, Homa Bay-Kenya

Diarrhoea is the passage of loose, watery or liquid stools three or more times a day. Diarrhoea may be acute, persistent, or chronic and is often preventable and treatable. It is the second leading cause of mortality in children <5 years of age, resulting in approximately 1.7 billion cases globally and 525,000 deaths each year. The low- and middle-income countries account for about 90% of these deaths, with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia reporting 88%. In Kenya, over 50% of children <5 years hospital admission results from diarrhoeal related infections. In Ndhiwa Sub-County, diarrhoea is among the leading causes of hospital admission among children <5 years old. Although the causes of morbidity and mortality associated with diarrhoeal diseases in children <5 years including the mothers’ socio-demographic and knowledge factors have been reported, the impact of these factors among teenage mothers remain largely unknown. With the proportion of teenage mothers estimated at 18 % in Kenya, and 33% in Homa Bay County, this study aimed to determine the socio-demographic factors and knowledge of teenage mothers associated with diarrhoea in children aged <5 years in Ndhiwa Sub-County, Homa Bay County. In this cross-sectional study a total of 320 teenage mothers were recruited using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using semi- structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS software. Statistical significance was set at P≤0.050. Results from binary logistic regression model showed that the marital status of teenage mother; namely never married (P=0.016) or divorced (P=0.023) increased odds of diarrhoea in children, while mothers’ occupation (fulltime student, P=0.027) significantly increased the odds of diarrhoea. Poor knowledge on general prevention of diarrhoea (P<0.001), rubbish dumping (P=0.010) and Rota/ measles vaccination (P<0.001) were associated with increased incidences of diarrhoea in children aged <5 years. In conclusion, these results show that the teenage mother’s socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge childhood diarrhoea and prevention were associated with reported incidences of diarrhoea among children <5 years. The study recommends that the County Government of Homa Bay develop intervention measures to mitigate identified factors associated with increased incidences of diarrhoea cases in children aged <5 years of teenage mothers.