Oral rehydration salts (ORS) therapy for diarrheal diseases is considered effective in many resource-poor settings. However, it has been consistently underutilized.

A new study published in the Journal of Public Health Research aimed to identify factors associated with behavior of caregivers regarding the provision of ORS therapy to children during diarrheal episodes.

The present study used data from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS-2016). Sample-selection was carried out through two-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Data of1 221 children under five years, whose mothers (aged 15-49 years) reported that the child had had diarrhea within two weeks before the survey, was included. 

The findings revealed that the prevalence of ORS therapy use among the children was 30%. Mothers who had made at least four prenatal visits during their last pregnancy were 87% more likely to use ORS therapy for their children than those who had fewer prenatal visits.

From the results, it was concluded that integrating efforts for scaling-up ORS use with prenatal health care services may benefit by promoting children’s wellbeing and survival.

Source: Journal of Public Health Research.2021 Feb 8;10(1):1732. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.1732.