Household Care Giving And Treatment Seeking Behaviour For Diarrhea In Children Under Five Years In Kassenanankana District, Ghana

ABSTRACT

Children under five years of age constitute about 50% of all deaths in Ghana every

year therefore any attempt to reduce mortality rate significantly should aim at the

under five years. In order to have an effective child survival strategy, the

understanding of where, when and why caregivers seek for health care for their under

five year is very important. This is what is called the treatment seeking behavior. How

communities manage these diseases amidst poor social amenities like transportation,

health facilities and low or non-existent income to cater for costs involved is crucial.

Key informant interviews, Focus group discussions, and a cross-sectional survey were

conducted on carefully selected members of one of the sub-districts with high under

five mortality rates in Ghana, the North Sub-district of the Kassena-Nankana District.

This study aimed at describing the household care giving .and treatment seeking

behavior of the community for the sick under five children with diarrhea. The

caregivers’ ability to define and recognize diarrhea, treatment options available to

caregivers, and the choices people make from the options and why, have been

documented.

The respondents perceived diarrhea as a common disease, which the mothers are able

to define and recognize in their children. The signs and symptoms associated with

diarrhea among caregivers include: frequent watery stools which could vary in color,

high temperature, loss of appetite for food, thirst, noise and pain in the belly, stools

with mucus, vomiting, sleeping a lot, crying a lot and sunken eyes.