Prevalence of Diarrhea Disease and Associated Factors Among Children Under 5 Years in Geshiyaro Project Implementation Sites in Ethiopia: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACTBackgroundGlobally, infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria are the leading causes of death for children under 5. Diarrheal disease is a significant public health concern and causes the death of approximately 525,000 children under the age of 5 every year. In Ethiopia, studies revealed that the prevalence of diarrhea among children under 5 years is alarming. However, there has been a shortage of studies regarding the predictors of diarrheal disease in Geshiyaro project implementation sites in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap.MethodsA community‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted from June to July 2023. A total of 2937 participants were enrolled in this investigation. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using STATA version 16.ResultsThe 2‐week prevalence of diarrhea among children under 5 years was 11.8%. The following factors were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with the occurrence of childhood diarrhea: sex of the child (AOR: 1.6; 95% CI, 1.17–2.19), child age in a month (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI, 0.26–0.94), drinking water service (AOR: 2.6; 95% CI, 1.33–5.25), knowledge on diarrhea prevention (AOR: 1.4; 95% CI, 1.05–1.98), open defecation practice (AOR: 1.9; 95% CI, 1.33–2.74), and rotavirus vaccination (AOR: 1.8; 95% CI, 1.20–2.56).ConclusionsThis study identified several factors contributing to diarrhea. Besides, it also studied and showed a larger number of children who were not receiving basic vaccines. Therefore, the government and partner organizations should implement effective interventions to increase vaccine coverage and reduce diarrhea.