| dc.description.abstract | Research on dietary practices and belief
systems in disease can provide better guidelines
for programme strategies, for pub lIc health
planning as we 11 as advance theoretical
understanding of human responses to disease.
The principal objective of this study was
to determine dietary patterns of children
aged 4-36 months during and in the absence of
diarrhoea in peri urban Nakuru.
The study was carried out in two phases. In
Phase one, prevalence rate of diarrhoea was
determined in a random sample of 480 households.
In Phase two, diet patterns were established in a
purposive sample of 211 children experiencing an
episode of diarrhoea. Out of these 211 children,
199 recovered successfully and were followed up for
diet management in the absence of diarrhoea.
Both qualitative and quantitative data were
collected using twenty four hour diet recall, diet
history
methods.
(habitual food intake) and observation
Chi-square, student t, and analysis of
variance tests were used to test for statistical
differences between diet management for children
during diarrhoea and diet management in the absence
10
of diarrhoea; specifically, foods consumed,
avoided, frequencies of feeding, nutritional
foods
diet
quality and quantity were tested.
The results showed a diarrhoea prevalence
rate of 21%. There were no differences in the types
of foods consumed during diarrhoea and those
consumed in the absence of the disease. However,
consumption of most foods was less frequent during
diarrhoea than in its absence. Consumption of
millet meal porridge (P(.001) was significantly
more frequently consumed by children during
diarrhoea than in the absence of the disease. The
mothers believed that the millet meal porridge
would reduce diarrhoea duration and the number of
stools per 24 hours. Plain milk (PC 001), was
avoided more frequently in the diets of children
during diarrhoea compared to children in the
absence of diarrhoea. The mothers believed that
plain milk would increase the duration and the
volume of diarrhoea per twenty four hours. Children
were fed five times per 24 hours during and in the
absence of diarrhoea.
average food group
The diet quality was of 3.3
complexity scores during
diarrhoea and 3.4, in the absence of diarrhoea. In
addition to breast milk, children during diarrhoea
consumed an average of 11.7 grammes of protein and
487.7 calories per day during diarrhoea, w hi I e
11
children in the absence of diarrhoea consumed an
average of 14.7 grammes of protein and 606
calories per day; this difference was statistically
significant for both protein (P(.Ol), and calories
(P(.OOl). The study showed that during diarrhoea,
children consumed significantly less compared to
when they had no diarrhoea. | en |
