Home Based Management of Diarrhea Contributes to Health Care Seeking Delays Among Caregivers of Under Five Children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: If not managed appropriately, diarrheal disease can lead to severe outcomes such as dehydration, secondary bacterial infections, and mortality. Seeking health care in a timely manner is known to improve the prognosis of diarrheal disease episodes. The aim of this study was to determine the drivers of delay in health seeking among children’s caregivers notably in urban settings. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at two health centers, Weyzero Beletshachew Public Health Center and Lideta Health Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Caregivers of infants and children aged 6–59 months who sought treatment for a child’s diarrhea at the two health centers were included in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 330 caregivers. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with a 24-hour delay in health care seeking. Results: We found that 65.2% of caregivers waited 24 h after the onset of diarrhea before seeking health care. Delay in health care seeking was significantly associated with the child’s age being 6–23 months (AOR, 2.12; 95% CI 1.16–3.86), caregivers poor knowledge about diarrhea (2.11; 95% CI 1.17–3.77), caregivers not using rice water to manage child’s diarrhea at home (AOR, 0.47; 95% CI 0.24–0.92), and caregivers who didn’t immediately go to the health center during the first diarrhea episode (AOR, 2.17; 95% CI 1.11–4.24). Conclusion: Delay in seeking health service to manage child diarrhea is significant. Educating caregivers about the signs, prevention and mode of transmission of diarrhea and appropriate home management can reduce delay in health care seeking thus improving the prognosis of diarrheal disease episodes.