Determinants of Pneumonia among under – five Children attending Public Hospitals in Shashemene City, Oromia, Ethiopia: A case – control Study

Abstract Back ground: In developing countries like Ethiopia, pneumonia is the leading cause of illness and death among children under five years old. Despite this, efforts to identify determinants of pneumonia in the study area are limited. This study aimed to identify determinants of pneumonia among under-five children in Shashemene, Oromia, Southern Ethiopia, 2021 Methods: An institution-based case-control study of 367 subjects was conducted from June 4 to June 25, 2021, in two hospitals in Shashemene city. The cases were children with pneumonia. Controls were children under the age of five years without pneumonia. After the total sample size was proportionally distributed among the hospitals, a consecutive sampling technique was used to select cases and controls. Epi-data version 3.1 was used to enter data and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed for selected variables. Variables with P < 0.25 and P < 0.05 with 95% CI in the multivariable logistic model were considered significant. Result: Children less than 12 months of age (AOR 3,59 [1.99-6.49]), children with low birth weight (AOR 3,59 [1.99-6.49]) , history of upper respiratory tract infection within 2 weeks before study (3,76 [2.25-6.27]), inappropriate hand washing (AOR 2.32, 95% CI [1.35-3.98]), preparing food in the main house (AOR 3.37, 95%CI(1.86-6.09), household using wood/charcoal as fuel (AOR 1.89, 95% CI(1.06_3.36) were more likely to develop pneumonia and less among likely among children exclusively breastfeed in the first 6 months (AOR=0.43, 95%CI0.22-0.84) as compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: This study found that age less than 12 months, underweight for age, upper respiratory tract infection in past two weeks, exclusive breastfeeding, lack of separate kitchen, use of wood/charcoal for food preparation, and maternal handwashing practice were determinants of pneumonia. Thus, focus on children under 1 year of age, improve early control of upper respiratory infections, and improve nutrition for young children. Furthermore, improving compliance with proper handwashing with soap among mothers/caregivers should be emphasized, and proper use of fuel for domestic purposes and separating cooking food could have a significant impact on reducing pneumonia.