Toolkit for the Collection of Survey Data on the Correct Use of Pediatric Zinc as a Treatment for Diarrhea
Approximately 1.3 million children die as a result of diarrhea every year . In the majority of cases, diarrhea is preventable through exclusive breastfeeding, improved hygiene and sanitation, and access to clean water, yet it is still one of the leading causes of death among children under five in the developing world. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) now recommend the use of a new low-osmolarity ORS for the correction and prevention of dehydration and 10–20 mg of zinc for 10–14 days as treatment for all episodes of diarrhea for children under five. With the widespread use of this effective treatment combination, 50% of diarrhea deaths can be prevented. The recommended regimen of zinc and ORS/ORT, along with continued feeding, is a safe, effective, and inexpensive treatment for children. Introducing a new treatment, such as zinc, creates an opportunity to improve standard diarrhea case management practices, enhance caregiver knowledge and provider skills, and increase ORS use rates that are vital to preventing death from dehydration associated with diarrhea.
The survey questionnaires and focus group discussion guides in this toolkit (see Annexes A and B) were prepared under the auspices of the POUZN and SHOPS projects. However, it is hoped that other zinc related programs will find the tools provided herein useful and will adapt them to their local circumstances and use them to gather both quantitative data and qualitative information. When used as a baseline, these tools will allow program managers to better understand the current environment (including diarrhea treatment practices; use of the private and public sectors for diarrhea advice and treatment; awareness and knowledge of zinc and ORS) and thus inform the design and implementation of programs to introduce zinc into household diarrhea management practices through public or private sector channels.
Source: USAID
Year: 2011
