Risk Factors for Diarrhoea and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections among Children in a Rural Area of Uganda

This study explored risk factors associated with diarrhoea and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) among children in Sembabule district, Uganda. Data were collected from 300 women with children aged less than two years using the WHO 30-cluster sampling technique. The prevalence of diarrhoea among children was 40.3%. A child not immunized (odds ratio [OR] 2.8, p<0.001), absence of latrine in a house (OR 1.4, p<0.03), low knowledge of mixing oral rehydration salts (OR 1.7, p<0.01), garbage thrown anywhere around the house (OR 2.6, p<0.001), not washing hands after using latrine (OR 1.8, p<0.03), and not washing hands before preparing food (OR 1.4, p<0.04) were risk factors for diarrhoea. The prevalence of URTIs among children was 37.4%. A child not immunized (OR 2.4, p<0.001), children aged 6-11 months (OR 2.1, p<0.03), and previous episode of diarrhoea (OR 2.5, p