Caregivers’ knowledge of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children under-5 years in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province

Background. Caregivers play an important role in preventing and managing childhood illnesses by implementing the key family practices from the integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) strategy. Their knowledge of diarrhoea and pneumonia prevention, appropriate homecare and when to seek medical attention is crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality from these conditions. Objective. To assess caregivers’ knowledge about pneumonia and diarrhoea in the Vhembe district. Methods. The study employed a quantitative, descriptive and correlational design, and involved 201 caregivers of children under-5, conveniently selected from a community health centre in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed with Stata software. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to examine the relationship between variables using Fischer’s exact test. Results. Guardians demonstrated knowledge that good personal hygiene (82.1%), fresh food (73.6%) and milk (66.7%) help prevent diarrhoea. They identified poor sanitation (78.6%) and inadequate nutrition (77.1%) as risk factors for diarrhoea, and knew it could be treated with an oral rehydration solution (77.6%) or an enema (28.4%). Caregivers knew that immunisation (78.1%), exclusive breastfeeding (69.2%) and sufficient nutrition (76.1%) could prevent pneumonia regardless of their education. Conclusion. Regardless of educational level, most guardians were aware of the risk factors and treatment of diarrhoea and pneumonia. However, some were unaware of the dangers of using enemas to manage diarrhoeal diseases. Healthcare workers should ascertain caregivers’ healthcare practices, discourage enema for diarrhoea and promote good practices.