Derese Gashaw, Kifle Woldemichael, Tamirat Shewanew, Kiddus Yitbarek
Introduction: Diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of infant mortality. Particularly diarrhea is most common among children age 7-12 months in Ethiopia. Even though there are many researches done on under five diarrheal morbidity, data on infants in the age group 7-12 months and factors affecting diarrhea among the same age group are scanty. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess prevalence of diarrheal morbidity and associated factors among 7-12 months infants in Geze Gofa district, Southern Ethiopia.
Methods and participants: A community based crosssectional study was conducted among infants of 7-12 months age. Sample size was calculated for each specific objective using epi info and highest sample of 386 was included. Data were collected from mothers/care givers of infants between 7 and 12 months using structured interviewer administered questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. P-values less than 0.05 were used to determine association.
Results: The prevalence of diarrheal morbidity in infants was found to be 21%. Failure to take ROTA vaccination (AOR: 2.52, 95% CI: 1.22, 5.19), unimproved source of water (AOR: 3.64, 95% CI: 1.92, 6.90), lack of hand washing facility (AOR: 2.912, 95% CI: 1.50, 5.66), complementary feeding before six months (AOR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.60, 6.06) and bottle feeding (AOR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.12, 4.24) were independently associated with diarrheal morbidity in infants aged between 7 and 12 months.
Conclusion: Diarrhea remains an important health concern in the studied community. Factors that influence the occurrence of diarrhea were infant rota vaccination status, hand washing facility availability, usage of improved water source, exclusive breast feeding for six months and using cup to feed infants.
