Introduction
Diarrhea among children is a disease characterized by a watery or loose stool for more than three times over a period of 24 hours (Mohammed & Tamiru, 2014). The disease continues to pose a significant health concern for most developing and middle-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa as well as some parts of West Africa, diarrhea among children under the age of 5 is one of the chief causes of mortality and morbidity (Fewtrell & Colford, 2004). Globally, the disease is accountable for nearly one in every five child deaths. It ranks higher in childhood deaths compared to measles, malaria, and HIV/AIDS combined. According to Bado, Susuman, and Nebie (2016), children in Africa experience approximately 5 diarrhea cases annually. Additionally, 800,000 children die every year as a result of the disease, thereby accounting for approximately 25% to 75% of all the childhood diseases. Other than causing death, the disease can have a disastrous effect on cognitive development and growth among children especially in their early childhood stages. As is already evident, childhood diarrhea poses a large threat to the world and more so in Africa. An important factor to note, however, is that the disease is preventable given it is brought about by hygiene issues. This report hypothesizes that the prevalence diarrhea among children under 5 years in Africa can be reduced through better water sanitation and hygiene.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Use of Clean and Safe Water to Reduce the Prevalence of Diarrhea in Young Children in Africa".
Background
To understand the interventions of diarrhea among children, it is important first to comprehend its causes. The pathogens associated with diarrhea are transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route (Bado et al., 2016). The disease is largely linked to poverty, poor living conditions, lack of drinking water, as lack of hygiene generally (Bado et al., 2016). This explains the high prevalence of the disease in Africa since clean water remains a challenge in the region. Majority of the population have inadequate access to clean water, a factor that has been key in bringing about diarrhea, in addition to other related diseases. Unsanitary living conditions as well as inadequate provisions of water are major contributors to the burden of diarrheal disease especially for children under the age of five. Other factors include poor economic situations and food scarcity. Whilst there are other causes of diarrhea, 88% of deaths by the disease are attributable to inadequate sanitation, unclean/unsafe water, as well as insufficient hygiene (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). This fact informs the decision in this research to evaluate the effectiveness of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in addressing the high burden of the condition among children aged five years and below in Africa.
Statement of the Problem
Research has shown that Diarrhea presents a large burden for the African region. It is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity among children aged five years and below in the continent. Developed countries have managed to counter this burden since the disease is easily preventable. However, this is not the same for most countries in Africa due to the widespread poor living conditions and lack of clean and safe water. Research shows that 88% of deaths by diarrhea is attributable to inadequate sanitation, unclean/unsafe water, as well as insufficient hygiene (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Another problem arises when it comes to the cost-effectiveness of the implementation of the water and sanitation interventions in these countries (Clasen & Haller, 2008).
Research Questions
There are several questions that this research will answer. The general outlook is based on the overall efficacy of water and sanitation interventions in reducing the burden of diarrhea in African countries for children aged five and below. The questions include:
What are the current water and sanitation practices in the African region?
What is the difference in burden between communities with access to clean water and proper sanitation and those without?
Research Approach
The research will assume a deductive approach. This entails having a certain theory in mind and then collecting data to prove it. It will involve having a hypothesis that relies on an existing theory and then employing a research strategy primarily aimed at testing the hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis is that the use of clean drinking water and washing hands can reduce the prevalence of diarrhea cases and deaths among children aged five years and below in Africa. As such, the research will involve collection and analysis of data to prove this hypothesis. An advantage of this approach is its reliability and time-consciousness.
The study will be primarily non-experimental. It will assume the design of a systematic review where different reports on intervention methods for diarrhea in African countries will be analyzed. The aim of the analysis will be to examine the effectiveness of the evidence presented in the selected research papers. The variables in the research will be the prevalence of diarrhea cases and deaths among children under five years and the availability of clean water and sanitation interventions. The prevalence of the disease will be the outcome variable. The considered interventions will include hygiene interventions, water supply interventions, sanitation interventions, and water quality interventions. The research will be quantitative in nature. This means it will involve collection of data that is measurable. For instance, the number of deaths due to diarrhea versus the number of employed interventions. Data will be extracted from already performed researches as well as databases from organizations such as the World Health Organization.
- Bado, A. R., Susuman, A. S., & Nebie, E. I. (2016). Trends and risk factors for childhood diarrhea in sub-Saharan countries (1990–2013): assessing the neighborhood inequalities. Global health action, 9(1), 30166. doi:10.3402/gha.v9.30166
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Global diarrhea burden | Global water, sanitation and hygiene | Healthy water | CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/diarrhea-burden.html
- Clasen, T. F., & Haller, L. (2008). Water quality interventions to prevent diarrhoea: cost and cost-effectiveness. World Health Organisation, Geneva.
- Fewtrell, L., & Colford Jr, J. M. (2004). Water, sanitation and hygiene: interventions and diarrhoea. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health, Nutrition, and Population- The World Bank.
