Individual factors contributing to increased cases of pneumonia among children below five years admitted on the paediatric ward, Kayunga Regional referral hospital, Kayunga, district. A cross-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70572/agp.v2i8.80Keywords:
Individual factors, Increased cases of pneumonia, Children below five yearsAbstract
Background.
Globally, Individual factors such as age, nutritional status, immunization status, and underlying health conditions significantly influence the susceptibility of children to pneumonia. The aim of the study is to determine the individual factors contributing to increased cases of pneumonia among children below five years.
Methodology.
A quantitative cross-sectional study design using a purposive sampling technique. A sample of 50 respondents was used, and self-administered questionnaires were used as a data collection tool. Data was entered into tally sheets and later exported to Excel to generate tables, figures, and pie charts.
Results.
Most caregivers had no formal education and completed primary school (30%). The majority, 29(58%), were male. The majority (60%) of the children of the respondents were exclusively breastfed up to 6months. Most (70%) were up to date with immunization. The majority (62 %) had pneumonia but were well nourished. Most (72%) of children who had pneumonia did not have other respiratory illnesses before acquiring pneumonia.
Conclusion.
Individual factors contributing to increased cases of pneumonia among children below five years admitted at Kayunga regional referral hospital were: exclusive breastfeeding up to 6months, underlying respiratory illnesses before getting infected with pneumonia, and nutritional status.
Recommendations.
Caregivers should boil drinking water for their children to address the issue of contaminated water, and community members should do spring water protection to prevent contaminated water sources.
Household prevention of smoke by use of a non-soot-producing source of heat for cooking.
References
Kamya, M. (2017). Burden of severe childhood pneumonia in Uganda. Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
Mayai, A. (2019). Vitamin A deficiency and pneumonia in South Sudan. South Sudan Medical Journal, 12(2), 45-50.
Moore. (2018). Incomplete vaccination schedules and pneumonia in Tanzanian children. Vaccine, 36(32). Vaccine, 36(32), 4850-4855.
Ngari, M. (2017). Malnutrition as a risk factor for pneumonia among children in Kenya. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 36(8), 76-766.
Rusine, J. (2018). HIV and Pneumonia in Children in Rwanda. Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 245-252.
UNICEF. ( (2020)). State of the World’s Children. Nutrition.
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