Abstract

Background: Despite remarkable progress in the reduction of under-five mortality, childhood diarrhea is still the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in under-five children. In Ethiopia, study findings regarding prevalence and determinants of diarrhea amongst under-five children have been inconsistent and highly variable. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the pooled prevalence of diarrhea and its determinants among under-five children in Ethiopia.

Methods: Databases, including PubMed, EMBAS, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library, were systematically searched. All identified observational studies reporting the prevalence and determinants of diarrhea among under-five children in Ethiopia were included. STATA Version 13 statistical software was used to do a meta-analysis. The Cochrane Q test statistics and I² test were used to assess the heterogeneity of the studies. A random effect model was computed to estimate the pooled prevalence of diarrhea. Moreover, the associations between determinant factors and childhood diarrhea were examined using the random effect model.

Results: After reviewing of 535 studies, 31studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The findings from the 31 studies revealed that the pooled prevalence of diarrhea among under-five children in Ethiopia was 22% (95%CI: 19, 25). The subgroup analysis of this study also revealed that the highest prevalence was observed in Afar region (27%), followed by Somali and Dire Dawa regions (26 %), and Addis Abeba (24%). Maternal education (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.3, 2.1), latrine availability (OR: 2.0, 95%CI: 1.3, 3.2), residence (OR: 1.9, 95%CI: 1.2, 3.0), and maternal hand washing practices (OR: 2.2, 95%CI: 2.0, 2.6) were significantly associated with childhood diarrhea.

Conclusion: In this study, diarrhea among under-five children in Ethiopia was significantly high. Maternal education, latrine availability, residence and maternal hand washing practices were significantly associated with childhood diarrhea.

Keywords: Prevalence, under-five children, diarrhea, Ethiopia