According to the Mexican Ministry of Health, mortality due to diarrhea in children under five remains a serious problem in rural and marginal areas of Mexico. Many community-based strategies to promote child health survival, such as oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for children with diarrhea, require partnerships between communities and health professionals, especially nurses. This presentation describes results of a 1999 international project, conducted by US and Mexican nurses and other health professionals, in collaboration with the community and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to study caregiver practices for diarrhea management of children at home. As part of a population based survey, bilingual teams used a standardized protocol to interview 239 randomly-selected caregivers of children under 5 years, residing in a marginal Mexican community. Caregivers reported that 28% of children under 5 had one or more diarrheal episodes in the last five months. Thirty nine percent of caregivers reported using Oral Rehydration Therapy, and 37% reported seeking care from a clinic or health practitioner. Caregivers also reported a number of traditional treatments. The partnership approach employed by the study decreased cultural barriers and increased community interest and willingness to volunteer study information. Findings indicate a need for community-based education emphasizing the importance of augmented liquids, especially ORT, for children with diarrhea. Findings also support the importance of learning about traditional therapies and evaluating their beneficial or non-beneficial effects. Acknowledgements: PAHO, Office of the Secretary of Health of Nuevo Leon, and UTMB School of Medicine Center for Hispanic Excllence
Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will be able to: 1) describe Mexican mothers' practices for diarrhea management at home; 2) discuss the importance of community-based collaboration
Keywords: Community Collaboration, Child Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: World Health Organization (Oral Rehydration Therapy)
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.