| Control Group |
ORS and zinc treatment for childhood diarrhoea |
ORS was given according to the number of diarrhoea episodes and the child's weight. A zinc tablet was given 20mg daily. |
Ten days |
The mothers received a brief health talk on diarrhoea in either English or Yoruba for an average of five minutes. The days of therapy numbered one to eleven: Day one was the first day of contact with the research team, day ten was the last day of zinc therapy, and the follow-up visit was done on day 11. Eight sachets (one liter) of ORS were given to the mother, a packet containing ten 20mg zinc tablets, and a pictorial diary. They were taught and advised to tick whenever a child passes loose stool, whenever the child receives ORS after a loose stool, and after the zinc tablet is administered. Subsequently, they were instructed to return with their children on day 11 with the used sachets of ORS, the zinc packet, and the pictorial diary.
After this, the mother picks a small envelope from a sealed bag, and the number in it is noted. This number was checked for its corresponding "label"- either "A" or "B" among 400 randomly generated numbers. Then, the subjects whose corresponding label is "B" were assigned to the control arm. A convenient time at which calls could be made was agreed upon and noted. Phone calls were made ONLY on day 10 of therapy to remind them of their next appointment. The call was successful when the mother or caregiver answered the phone, and the information was delivered. A maximum of three attempts was made per call session, and if the phone was not answered, three additional attempts were made to reach the subject on the alternative number available. If the mother/caregiver was still not reached on the alternative number, the same process was repeated an hour after until they could be reached. Mothers who did not have mobile phones were called on the alternative number they provided. At follow-up, the number of times that ORS was given after a loose stool and the total number of zinc tablets were counted and noted.
|
200 |
Active-Treatment of Control Group |
| Experimental Group |
ORS and zinc treatment for childhood diarrhoea. |
ORS was given according to the number of diarrhoea episodes and the child's weight. A 20mg zinc tablet was given daily. |
Ten days |
The mothers received a brief health talk on diarrhoea in either English or Yoruba for an average of five minutes. The days of therapy numbered one to eleven: Day one was the first day of contact with the research team, day ten was the last day of zinc therapy, and the follow-up visit was done on day 11. Eight sachets (one liter) of ORS were given to the mother, a packet containing ten 20mg zinc tablets, and a pictorial diary. They were taught and advised to tick whenever a child passes loose stool, whenever the child receives ORS after a loose stool, and after a zinc tablet is administered. Subsequently, they were instructed to return with their children on day 11 with the used sachets of ORS, the zinc packet, and the pictorial diary.
After this, the mother picks a small envelope from a sealed bag, and the number in it is noted. This number was checked for its corresponding "label"- either "A" or "B" among 400 randomly generated numbers. Then, the subjects whose corresponding label is "A" were assigned to the intervention arm. A convenient time at which calls could be made was agreed upon and noted. The phone call was done using a pre-written script to ensure information uniformity. The intervention through phone calls was made on zinc therapy's days 3 and 7. The information provided during these phone sessions was similar to that given to subjects in both groups (control and intervention) at the initial visit. The researcher filled out a form noting the phone call duration. Additional phone calls were made on day 10 of therapy to remind them of their next appointment. The call was successful when the mother or caregiver answered the phone, and the information was delivered. At follow-up, the number of times that ORS was given after a loose stool and the total number of zinc tablets were counted and noted. |
200 |
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