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Effect of Rotavirus Prevention Education on Diarrhoea Prevention Practices among Caregivers of Under-Five Children in Nigeria

Abstract

Rotavirus infection remains an important cause of acute diarrhoeal illness among young children and may contribute significantly to dehydration, hospitalization, and preventable childhood morbidity. Children under five years of age are particularly vulnerable to diarrhoeal diseases, while caregivers play an important role in maintaining household hygiene, preparing food and drinking water, seeking appropriate healthcare, and ensuring that children receive recommended preventive interventions. In Nigeria, inadequate knowledge of rotavirus transmission, poor hand hygiene, unsafe water and food practices, inappropriate disposal of children's faeces, and delayed healthcare-seeking may increase the risk of diarrhoeal illness among young children. Rotavirus prevention education provides an opportunity to improve caregivers' knowledge of rotavirus transmission and promote practical measures for preventing diarrhoeal disease. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of rotavirus prevention education on diarrhoea prevention practices among caregivers of under-five children in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how caregivers' perceptions of children's susceptibility to rotavirus infection, perceived severity of diarrhoeal illness, perceived benefits of preventive practices, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence household diarrhoea-prevention behaviours. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes learning through observation, practical demonstration, reinforcement, feedback, and self-efficacy in developing and maintaining appropriate hygiene and child-health practices. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, household, community, healthcare, and environmental factors on diarrhoea prevention and child health. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how rotavirus prevention education may influence diarrhoea prevention practices among caregivers of under-five children in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise parents and primary caregivers of children under five years of age residing in selected urban, semi-urban, and rural communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, households, and eligible caregivers. Rotavirus prevention education will be assessed using indicators such as frequency and duration of educational sessions, information on rotavirus transmission, signs and symptoms of diarrhoeal illness, hand hygiene, safe water practices, food hygiene, environmental sanitation, safe disposal of children's faeces, rotavirus vaccination information, appropriate care during diarrhoeal episodes, oral rehydration, timely healthcare-seeking, availability of educational materials, practical demonstrations, and follow-up education. Diarrhoea prevention practices will be assessed using indicators such as handwashing at critical times, use of safe drinking water, appropriate food preparation and storage, cleaning of feeding utensils, safe disposal of children's faeces, household sanitation, environmental cleanliness, appropriate management of diarrhoeal episodes, timely healthcare-seeking, and adherence to recommended childhood vaccination practices. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized caregiver knowledge and practice assessment tools, household observation checklists, child health records, vaccination records where available, and relevant community health programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize caregivers' characteristics, household conditions, exposure to rotavirus prevention education, and diarrhoea prevention practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of rotavirus prevention education on diarrhoea prevention practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, prevention-practice scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that rotavirus prevention education has a significant positive effect on diarrhoea prevention practices among caregivers of under-five children in Nigeria. Caregivers exposed to structured rotavirus prevention education are expected to demonstrate better adoption of recommended diarrhoea-prevention practices than caregivers without comparable exposure. Education may improve caregivers' understanding of rotavirus transmission and encourage consistent handwashing, safe water handling, appropriate food hygiene, proper cleaning of feeding utensils, and safe disposal of children's faeces. Education may also increase awareness of the importance of recommended rotavirus vaccination and timely healthcare-seeking when children develop diarrhoeal symptoms. Practical demonstrations may strengthen caregivers' ability to apply hygiene measures correctly within the household. However, limited access to safe water, inadequate sanitation facilities, household poverty, overcrowding, low literacy, limited access to healthcare services, and misconceptions about childhood diarrhoea may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, culturally appropriate, and continuous rotavirus prevention education, supported by adequate water, sanitation, vaccination, and child-health services, to contribute significantly to improved diarrhoea prevention practices among caregivers of under-five children in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on rotavirus prevention, childhood diarrhoeal diseases, caregiver education, child health, immunization, water sanitation and hygiene, household health practices, infectious disease prevention, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, state ministries of health, local government health authorities, primary healthcare centres, community health workers, maternal and child health programmes, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing diarrhoeal diseases among children. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening caregiver education, integrating rotavirus prevention messages into routine child-health services, promoting recommended childhood vaccination, improving household water and sanitation practices, strengthening community health education, and increasing access to appropriate diarrhoeal disease prevention and management services across Nigeria.

Keywords: Rotavirus prevention education, diarrhoea prevention practices, caregivers, under-five children, rotavirus infection, childhood diarrhoea, immunization, water sanitation and hygiene, child health, Nigeria, public health.