PDF, 1536K - Measure DHS

egion. Nearly all mothers in Dire Dawa (98 percent)
and the Harari Region (97 percent) know about ORS
packets, compared with slightly more than one in two
mothers in the Amhara Region. Surprisingly, knowledge
of ORS packets is somewhat lower in Addis Ababa
(90 percent). There are pronounced differences in the
knowledge of ORS packets by educational level of
mothers; 96 percent of mothers with secondary and
higher education know about ORS packets, compared
with 62 percent of mothers with no education.
10.19 DIARRHEA TREATMENT
Table 10.23 presents the percentage of children
with diarrhea who received specific treatments according
to background characteristics. Only 13 percent of
children with diarrhea in the two weeks prior to the
survey were taken to a health provider. There is little
variation by age or sex of the child in the percentage of
children with diarrhea taken to a health provider. First
births are more likely to be taken to a health facility
than children of higher birth order. Notable differences
also exist by place of residence. The proportion of
children taken to a health facility in urban areas
(43 percent) is four times higher than in rural areas (11
percent). Similarly, children of mothers with secondary
and higher education (31 percent) are about three
times more likely to be taken to a health provider than
children of mothers with no education (12 percent).
Forty-five percent of children with diarrhea
were treated with some kind of oral rehydration
therapy: 13 percent were treated with ORS prepared
from an ORS packet, 9 percent were given recommended
home fluids prepared at home, 19 percent
Table 10.22 Knowledge of ORS packets
Percentage of mothers with births in the five years
preceding the survey who know about ORS packets for
treatment of diarrhea, by background characteristics,
Ethiopia 2000
_____________________________________________
Percentage of
mothers who
Background
know about
characteristic ORS packets Number
_____________________________________________
Age
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-49
Residence
Urban
Rural
Region
Tigray
Affar
Amhara
Oromiya
Somali
Benishangul-Gumuz
SNNP
Gambela
Harari
Addis Ababa
Dire Dawa
Mother's education
No education
Primary
Secondary and higher
55.1 472
59.8 1,727
68.3 2,028
68.6 1,496
68.7 2,255
90.9 908
62.6 7,070
86.2 536
77.0 85
54.2 2,224
68.2 3,059
82.8 85
57.3 81
66.4 1,695
81.9 22
96.5 16
90.2 148
98.4 27
61.5 6,550
81.5 1,003
96.4 425
Total
65.8 7,978
_____________________________________________
ORS = Oral rehydration salts
received ORS or RHF, and 35 percent were given increased fluids. Twenty-six percent of children were
given a pill or syrup, 9 percent were given other home remedies, and 1 percent were given an injection.
However, a large proportion (39 percent) of children with diarrhea did not receive any type of treatment
at all.
Diarrhea treatment does not vary significantly with age. Children of birth order one received ORS
or RHF much more than children of higher birth order. Large variations also exist between urban and
rural areas. Children in urban areas (59 percent) are four times more likely to receive ORS or RHF than
children in rural areas, as are children who live in the Somali Region (63 percent) and Addis Ababa (61
percent), compared with children in the Amhara Region (13 percent). Children of educated mothers are
also more likely to receive ORS or RHF than children of less-educated mothers.
Maternal and Child Health * 137