AWARENESS REGARDING ORS AND ZINC THERAPY AMONG MOTHERS OF UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
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Keywords
ORS, Zinc, Diarrhoea, Awareness, Under-five children, Mothers
Abstract
Background: Diarrhoeal disease remains one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality globally. Oral rehydration solution (ORS) and zinc supplementation are cornerstone interventions recommended by WHO/UNICEF for management of childhood diarrhoea. Despite proven efficacy, awareness of these therapies among primary caregivers remains suboptimal in many low- and middle-income countries. Objectives: To assess the level of awareness regarding ORS and zinc therapy among mothers of children under five years of age. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 mothers of under-five children. A pre-designed, structured, and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: 78.4% of mothers were aware of ORS, while only 42.0% were aware of zinc supplementation. Awareness was significantly associated with maternal education and socioeconomic status (p <0.05). Conclusion: Despite moderate awareness about ORS, knowledge of zinc therapy remains critically low and necessitates targeted health education programs.
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All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Dr Amreen Khan
P.G. Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh, India.
Dr Soumitra Sethia
Assistant Professor , Department of Community Medicine, Govt Medical College, Khandwa,Madhya Pradesh, India.
