PRACTICES OF MOTHERS OF UNDER FIVE YEARS CHILDREN REGARDING HOME MANAGEMENT OF DIARRHEAL DISEASES IN SOKOTO SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NIGERIA

Diarrheal diseases account for 1 in 9 child death worldwide, making diarrhea the second leading cause of death among children under the age of 5. Also the prevalence of diarrheal disease in the developing countries of the world is estimated to be 13 million episode of diarrhea with 3.2 million deaths occurring among children annually. This study aims to evaluate the cultural practice of mothers of under 5 year children regarding home management of diarrheal diseases in sokoto south local government. A descriptive cross sectional study was used; convenience sampling method applied and a sample size of 174 used. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire The responses were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 24. The main fluids given by mothers at home include ORS and Maize gruel constituting 48.2% and 19.9% respectively. 26.2% gave salt sugar solution. The study recommended that educational program should be established to improve mothers` knowledge on how to prepare salt sugar solution properly. Similarly, it should also include health education on the dangers of herbal medicine and its limited role in treatment of diarrhea. The study concluded that majority of the mothers had good knowledge of diarrhea and there were reasonable high use of ORS in the management of diarrhea.