Diarrhea Management Knowledge,Attitudes and Practices amongCaregivers and Providers in Uganda

Health
Written By Cate Urban

Caregivers’ level of awareness about causes of diarrhea is adequate butawareness of appropriate diarrhea treatments is poor. According to providers, caregivers demand specific treatments (primarily antibiotics) for their children. This in turn influences which treatments providers recommend.

Need for stronger and more sustained demand creation efforts to improve caregivers’ knowledge of zinc and where to purchase it.

Campaigns should relay the following key messages about childhood diarrhea treatment to both audiences (caregivers and providers):

  • Zinc + ORS is the most effective stand-alone treatment

  • Only diarrheal episodes that have blood in stool require antibiotics

  • Zinc must be taken for the full 10 days, even after the diarrhea subsides, in order to protect against future episodes. Emphasize the protective effect of zinc.

  • Antibiotics are ineffective treatments for uncomplicated childhood diarrheas

  • Antidiarrheals should NEVER be given to children

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Diarrhea Management

Source: USAID
Year: 2012

Cate Urban

I founded Urban Web Renovations after 11 years of leading global marketing strategies for nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC. In each position I held, one thing remained the same – my passion for managing web sites and social media accounts for both organizations and major thought leaders.

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