Current trends in the use of salt-sugar solution in the management of acute diarrhoea episodes in Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

In a community based study the current trends in salt-sugar solution (SSS) preparation and utilisation in the management of acute childhood diarrhoea was assessed in 210 mothers (mean age + SD of 29.1+ 7.4 years) who had children aged two years and below. The women were selected using the cluster sampling technique. The study was carried out in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria and it entailed the assessment of five procedures involved in SSS preparation and use in recent episodes of diarrhoea. Of the 210 subjects 135(64.3%) had children who had diarrhoea episodes in recent times. SSS utilisation rate among such mothers was 41.5%. None of the mothers observed all five procedures involved in SSS preparation and none used the 3.0ml spoon for solute measurement. Best practiced procedure was the use of appropriately sized solvent measure, as seen in 178 (84.8%) of cases. Thirty-one (81.6%) of the 38 mothers whose children had very recent episodes of diarrhoea (2 weeks preceding interview) used drugs as part of home management of diarrhoea. Breastfeeding was continued by all 19 mothers who were still lactating at the time of diarrhoea episodes. Besides SSS, standard ORS (7 [18.4%]), plain water (20 [52.6%]), pap and other cereal-based diets (27 [73.6%]), and tea (3 [7.9%]) were also used. There are indications of reversal to gains made by the national CDD programme in the past two decades. If such trends are to be reversed, interest in ORT and SSS must be reawakened at the individual and community levels.


[Jnl Medicine & Biomedical Res. Vol.1(1) 2002: 43-50]