FAMILY KNOWLEDGE LEVEL AND CHILD DIARRHEA AT THE PEDIATRIC UNIT OF NATIONAL HOSPITAL GUIDO VALADARES

Abstract

Diarrhea is an infectious disease that poses a significant threat as it can affect children with weakened immunity, leading to rapid deterioration, and the failure to prevent it can increase mortality rates. The reported cases of diarrhea in Timor-Leste are around 4,965, specifically affecting children (Ajensi Tatoli, 2023). Additionally, data from the National Hospital Guido Valadares indicate 710 cases of diarrhea from January to August 2023 in the Pediatric Unit (Pediatric Unit, 2023). The objective of this research is to understand and analyze the relationship between family knowledge levels and diarrhea cases in children. The respondents in this study are families of children who have sought treatment in the pediatric unit of HNGV, totaling 50 individuals. This research adopts a quantitative approach, using a questionnaire for data collection. The data analysis techniques include correlation analysis and the chi-square test. The research results show that the Expected Count values in each table are greater than 0.5 or 100%. The statistical analysis with the chi-square test yields an exact Sig. (2-sided) value of 0.000, which is less than 0.05 (P < 0.05), using SPSS version 23.0, indicating acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (Ha) and rejection of the null hypothesis (Ho). Furthermore, the correlation coefficient value (rcount) between the family knowledge level (X) and diarrhea cases in children (Y) is 0.491, indicating a moderate to neutral relationship. In conclusion, there is a relationship between family knowledge levels and diarrhea cases in children at the Pediatric Unit of the National Hospital Guido Valadares.