Effects of Temperature and Seasonal Variations on the Prevalence and Trend of Diarrheal Diseases among the Under-five Years Children in Yenagoa: 2016-2020

Abstract

Background: Diarrheal disease is a principal contributor to the high mortality and morbidity rate among under-five-year-old children, especially in middle and low-income countries, and temperature and seasons play a major role. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of temperature and seasons on the prevalence and trend of diarrheal diseases in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State from 2016 to 2020. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design was employed, using a uniform stratified sampling method to select six healthcare facilities. A data extraction tool was used to extract information on diarrhea cases from patients' folders in the paediatrics wards while meteorological information was obtained from the NIMET archive. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were presented in frequency tables and expressed in percentages. Chi-square for inferential statistics to compare differences in proportions while Poisson regression was run to determine the trend of diarrhea from 2016-2020 based on temperature and seasons at a 95% Confidence interval and a statistical significance of p≤0.05. Results: Out of the 916 cases of diarrhea identified, 395 (43.1%) were <1 year, with 439 (47.9%) between 1 to 2 years and 82 (8.9%) between 3 to <5 years. Dry seasons (aPR 1.14[95% CI:1.11-1.32], p = 0.001), maximum temperature (aPR 1.19[95% CI, 1.13- 1.25], p = 0.001), and average temperature (aPR 1.03[95% 1.0-1.22], p = 0.020) were all significantly associated with diarrhea occurrence. Conclusion: Although diarrheal disease is preventable and treatable, it is still endemic and highly influenced by seasons and temperature.