Management and treatment of diarrhea in Honduran children: Factors associated with mothers' health care behaviors

Data from the 1984 National Maternal-Child Health and Family Planning Survey in Honduras showed that one fifth (n = 711) of the children under five had experienced diarrhea on the day of the interview or the two days preceding the interview. The health care behaviors of the mothers of these children and the factors associated with these behaviors were the focus of this study. Only 22% of the mothers consulted medical personnel concerning the diarrhea episode; 74% treated their children with some type of medication while only 17% of the children received the recommended treatment, oral rehydration therapy. Most children were treated inappropriately, often receiving a combination of antibiotics, antidiarrheals and other drugs. Bivariate and multivariate analyses showed that the variables that most consistently predicted any and all three of the behaviors were the child's age and the severity of symptoms. Mothers of children two years and older were less likely to consult or use ORT than mothers of children 6-23 months of age. Mothers whose children's diarrhea had lasted three or more days or who were vomiting were usually twice as likely to consult, give any type of treatment, or give ORT than mothers whose children had diarrhea for fewer days or who were not vomiting.