Prevalence of pneumonia among under- five children in Este town and the surrounding rural kebeles, Northwest Ethiopia; A community based cross sectional study

Introduction: Pneumonia causes about two million under five deaths each year, accounting for nearly one in five child deaths globally. Identifying its prevalence in under-five children and the associated factors is crucial to achieve MDG4 in developing countries. Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with pneumonia among under-five children in Este town and surrounding rural kebeles, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: Community based cross sectional study design was used. A total of 286 households with under-five children were selected by multistage sampling technique, 222 from rural and 64 from the urban kebeles (‘Kebele’ is the smallest administrative unit) proportional to the number of children in the respective kebeles. Two rural and one urban kebeles were selected by simple random sampling. Then households were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Trained nurses collected the data through face to face interview. Two health officers supervised the data collection process. Data were analyzed by stepwise binary logistic regression model. Result: The overall two weeks prevalence of pneumonia among under-five children was 16.1%. Stunting, using charcoal for cooking, carrying the child on back during cooking, keeping cattle inside the main house and living in crowded house were the most important variables found associated with pneumonia among under-five children in this study. Conclusion and recommendation: The prevalence of pneumonia among under-five children in the study area was high. Nutrition interventions and introducing improved stoves to households may reduce pneumonia among children. Health education should be given for senior household members on the possible risk factors for pneumonia.