No description available.

<p>The negative effect of poor oral health on quality of life and financial implication of work days lost as a result of dental pain can be accepted as a rationale for inclusion of oral health in the primary health care (PHC) package for South Africa. The norms of the PHC package for oral health services are to expose at least 50% of primary schools to organized school preventive programmes and to ensure basic coverage of everybody in the catchment areas. Currently these norms are not adequately fulfilled in Randfontein. The purpose of this study was to gather information that can be used to improve oral health services in Randfontein. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the factors that influence the choice of oral health care seeking behaviour as perceived&nbsp / by residents in different contexts and to use these perceptions to inform appropriate health planning strategies and implementation of measures that can improve health promotion in Randfontein. This qualitative study explored oral health care seeking behaviour. The study population comprised all residents of Randfontein above seventeen years old who had visited the oral health section in the Randfontein Primary Health Care (PHC) Facility. There were two focus group discussions (FGDs) from each of three separate residential areas namely Mohlakeng with&nbsp / mainly black residents, Toekomsrus with mainly coloured race residents and from town which is a predominantly Caucasian race area. Data collected was analysed during the data collection stage and thereafter until they made sense to the researcher. To strengthen validity, the accuracy of the interpretation of what respondents said was confirmed with them. Analysed themes were&nbsp / coded and categorized to enable the key researcher to interpret them for final reporting. Appropriate ethical procedures were followed. The findings were that although all focus groups preferred&nbsp / allopathic oral health care seeking, various barriers existed. The study concluded that there should be adequate oral health education and promotion, effectivecommunication and an expansion of these services to Toekomsrus, where they do not exist. Perceptions on factors influencing oral health seeking by Randfontein residents&nbsp / </p>

<p>The negative effect of poor oral health on quality of life and financial implication of work days lost as a result of dental pain can be accepted as a rationale for inclusion of oral health in the primary health care (PHC) package for South Africa. The norms of the PHC package for oral health services are to expose at least 50% of primary schools to organized school preventive programmes and to ensure basic coverage of everybody in the catchment areas. Currently these norms are not adequately fulfilled in Randfontein. The purpose of this study was to gather information that can be used to improve oral health services in Randfontein. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the factors that influence the choice of oral health care seeking behaviour as perceived&nbsp / by residents in different contexts and to use these perceptions to inform appropriate health planning strategies and implementation of measures that can improve health promotion in Randfontein. This qualitative study explored oral health care seeking behaviour. The study population comprised all residents of Randfontein above seventeen years old who had visited the oral health section in the Randfontein Primary Health Care (PHC) Facility. There were two focus group discussions (FGDs) from each of three separate residential areas namely Mohlakeng with&nbsp / mainly black residents, Toekomsrus with mainly coloured race residents and from town which is a predominantly Caucasian race area. Data collected was analysed during the data collection stage and thereafter until they made sense to the researcher. To strengthen validity, the accuracy of the interpretation of what respondents said was confirmed with them. Analysed themes were&nbsp / coded and categorized to enable the key researcher to interpret them for final reporting. Appropriate ethical procedures were followed. The findings were that although all focus groups preferred&nbsp / allopathic oral health care seeking, various barriers existed. The study concluded that there should be adequate oral health education and promotion, effectivecommunication and an expansion of these services to Toekomsrus, where they do not exist. Perceptions on factors influencing oral health seeking by Randfontein residents&nbsp / </p>

Magister Public Health - MPH / The negative effect of poor oral health on quality of life and financial implication of work days lost as a result of dental pain can be accepted as a rationale for inclusion of oral health in the primary health care (PHC) package for South Africa. The norms of the PHC package for oral health services are to expose at least 50% of primary schools to organized school preventive programmes and to ensure basic coverage of everybody in the catchment areas. Currently these norms are not adequately fulfilled in Randfontein. The purpose of this study was to gather information that can be used to improve oral health services in Randfontein. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the factors that influence the choice of oral health care seeking behaviour as perceived by residents in different contexts and to use these perceptions to inform appropriate health planning strategies and implementation of measures that can improve health promotion in Randfontein. This qualitative study explored oral health care seeking behaviour. The study population comprised all residents of Randfontein above seventeen years old who had visited the oral health section in the Randfontein Primary Health Care (PHC) Facility. There were two focus group discussions (FGDs) from each of three separate residential areas namely Mohlakeng with mainly black residents, Toekomsrus with mainly coloured race residents and from town which is a predominantly Caucasian race area. Data collected was analysed during the data collection stage and thereafter until they made sense to the researcher. To strengthen validity, the accuracy of the interpretation of what respondents said was confirmed with them. Analysed themes were coded and categorized to enable the key researcher to interpret them for final reporting. Appropriate ethical procedures were followed. The findings were that although all focus groups preferred allopathic oral health care seeking, various barriers existed. The study concluded that there should be adequate oral health education and promotion, effectivecommunication and an expansion of these services to Toekomsrus, where they do not exist. Perceptions on factors influencing oral health seeking by Randfontein residents. / South Africa

Background: In Myocardial infarction (MI) it is well established that timely diagnosis and treatment may reduce mortality and improve the prognosis. Therefore it is important that patients with MI seek medical care as soon as possible. Patients with diabetes have a higher risk for MI and worse prognosis compared to patients without diabetes. Previous research is inconclusive regarding symptoms and pre-hospital delay times in MI among patients with diabetes and there is lack of research in how patients with diabetes perceive, interpret and respond to MI symptoms.  Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore symptoms and care seeking behaviour during MI in patients with diabetes.  Methods: This thesis comprises four studies. Studies I and II were based on data from the Northern Sweden MONICA myocardial infarction registry to describe symptoms in 4028 patients (I) and pre-hospital delay and factors associated with pre-hospital delay of ≥ 2 h in 4266 patients (II). Study III included 694 patients, at five hospitals in Sweden. The patients answered a questionnaire about symptoms, response to symptoms and delay times in MI. In study IV data were collected through interviews about experiences of getting MI and the decision to seek medical care.  Results: Study I showed that typical MI symptoms according to MONICA criteria were common in both men and women, both with and without diabetes, and no differences between the groups were found. Study II showed that more patients with diabetes had pre-hospital delay times of ≥ 2 h compared to patients without diabetes. In Study III, chest pain was the most common self-reported MI symptom in patients with and without diabetes and there were no differences between the groups. Shoulder pain/discomfort, shortness of breath and tiredness were more common in patients with diabetes whereas cold sweat was less common compared to patients without diabetes. Less than 40 % of patients with diabetes called the emergency medical services (EMS) as their first medical contact (FMC) and about 60 % initially contacted a spouse after symptom onset. Patients with diabetes reported longer patient delay than patients without diabetes, but after age and gender adjustments the results were not significant. Pain, pressure or discomfort in the stomach, anxiety, symptoms that come and go and thoughts that the symptoms would disappear were associated with longer patient delay in patients with diabetes. In study IV, the analysis revealed the core category “Becoming ready to act” and the categories perceiving symptoms, becoming aware of illness, feeling endangered, and acting on illness experience. Patients with diabetes described a variety of different MI symptoms, the onsets of MI varied and it was sometimes difficult to interpret symptoms as related to MI. The decision to seek medical care for MI was complex with several barriers for timely care seeking.  Conclusion: Chest pain was common in patients with diabetes and in contrast to our hypothesis chest pain was equally common in both patients with and without diabetes. There were more similarities than differences in MI symptoms between patients with and without diabetes. However, patients with diabetes were more likely to have pre-hospital delay for 2 hours or more compared to those without diabetes and there seems to be an underutilization of the use of emergency medical services as first medical contact. The process to seek care for MI was complex, initiated by perceiving symptoms, followed by illness awareness, feelings of being endangered and finally acting on the illness experience. / Bakgrund: Vid hjärtinfarkt är det sedan tidigare väl känt att snabb vård och behandling är viktigt för att förbättra prognosen. Det är därför av stor vikt att patienter med hjärtinfarkt söker vård så snart som möjligt efter att symtomen startat. Patienter med diabetes löper större risk att drabbas av hjärtinfarkt och prognosen efter en hjärtinfarkt är sämre än för patienter utan diabetes. Tidigare forskning har varit ofullständig när det gäller symtom och fördröjning att söka sjukvård vid hjärtinfarkt hos patienter med diabetes. Det saknas också forskning om hur patienter med diabetes uppfattar, tolkar och agerar vid symtom på hjärtinfarkt.  Syfte: Det övergripande syftet med föreliggande avhandling var att utforska symtom och hur man agerar vid hjärtinfarkt hos patienter med diabetes.  Metod: Avhandlingen består av fyra delstudier. Studie I och II baseras på data från norra Sveriges MONICA-hjärtinfarktregister för att beskriva symtom hos 4028 patienter samt pre-hospital fördröjning och faktorer som har samband med fördröjning hos 4266 patienter. Studie III inkluderade 694 patienter från 5 sjukhus i Sverige som alla besvarade en enkät om symtom, agerande och fördröjningstider vid hjärtinfarkt. I studie IV samlades data in via intervjuer som handlade om upplevelsen av att drabbas av hjärtinfarkt och beslutet att söka medicinsk vård.  Resultat: Studie I visade att typiska hjärtinfarktsymtom enligt MONICA kriterier var vanliga hos både män och kvinnor, med och utan diabetes och ingen skillnad mellan grupperna kunde påvisas. Studie II visade att en större andel av patienter med diabetes jämfört med patienter utan diabetes hade pre–hospital fördröjning ≥2 timmar. I studie III var bröstsmärta det vanligaste hjärtinfarktsymtomet hos patienter med diabetes och det var ingen skillnad jämfört med patienter utan diabetes. Smärta/obehag i skulderpartiet, andningsbesvär och trötthet var vanligare hos patienter med diabetes medan kallsvett var mindre vanligt i jämförelse med patienter utan diabetes. Mindre än 40 % av patienterna med diabetes kontaktade SOS alarm som första kontakt med sjukvården och ungefär 60 % kontaktade initialt en partner efter symtomdebut. Patienter med diabetes rapporterade längre fördröjningstider jämfört med patienter utan diabetes, men efter justeringar för ålder och kön var skillnaden inte signifikant. Smärta obehag eller tryck i magen, ångest, intermittenta symtom samt att man trodde att symtomen skulle gå över hade samband med längre patientfördröjning hos patienter med diabetes. I studie IV resulterade analysen i kärnkategorin ”Att bli redo att agera” och kategorierna att uppleva symtom, inse att man är sjuk, känna ett hot och agera utifrån upplevelsen. Patienter med diabetes beskrev en mängd olika hjärtinfarktssymtom, debuten av symtom varierade och det var ibland svårt att tolka symtomen som hjärtinfarkt. Beslutet att söka vård vid hjärtinfarkt var komplext och beslutet fördröjdes på grund av flera barriärer.  Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis var bröstsmärta vid hjärtinfarkt vanligt och i motsats till vår hypotes lika vanligt hos patienter med som utan diabetes. Det fanns fler likheter än skillnader i hjärtinfarktsymtom mellan grupperna, Patienter med diabetes hade dock längre pre-hospital fördröjning jämfört med patienter utan diabetes. Trots betydelsen av snabb medicinsk vård vid hjärtinfarkt underutnyttjades SOS alarm som första medicinska kontakt. Processen att söka vård för hjärtinfarkt var komplex. Den började med upplevelsen av symtom, följt av insikten att man är sjuk, att man känner ett hot och slutligen agerar utifrån upplevelsen av sjukdom.

Dental caries is the most prevalent childhood illness and disproportionately affects children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Dental organizations are collaborating within communities to decrease oral health disparities among children by offering free preventive oral health events. These programs face the problem of low enrollment due to lack of informed parental consent. Also, gaps in the literature indicated the need to examine oral health perceptions and dental-care-seeking practices of culturally diverse low-income parents regarding preventive care for their children. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the reasons why parents are not allowing their children to participate in the aforementioned programs. This inquiry examined how perceived barriers impede parents from seeking free preventive dental care for their children. The transtheoretical model and social cognitive theory were used in this study. Open-ended questions were used to interview 20 purposefully sampled parents regarding perceptions of free preventive dental care programs until saturation. Interviews were audio recorded, and all data were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed thematically. The main themes revealed through this analysis were lack of trust and cultural dissimilarities as potential barriers. Additional themes of money, fear, lack of insurance, transportation, time, and access to care were also confirmed. This study may contribute to positive social change by increasing knowledge that may inform the development of clinical and policy solutions aimed at improving parents' awareness regarding children's oral health, ultimately enabling a reduction in childhood caries and oral health disparities.

Globally, neonatal mortality has remained basically unchanged for the last three to four decades and every year almost four million newborns die before reaching one month of age. This persistent mortality is related to an invisibility of the newborn child in policies and statistics and a neglect of health care decision-makers, planners and practitioners to deliver a perinatal continuum of care. In recent years attention has however been brought to the unchanged neonatal mortality in an effort to improve survival. The present thesis seeks to increase understanding of obstacles for better neonatal survival. The studies performed are undertaken as sub-studies to the NeoKIP project in Quang Ninh province in northern Vietnam, a randomized controlled trial of knowledge implementation for improved neonatal survival (Neonatal Health – Knowledge Into Practice, ISRCTN 44599712). In the first paper we investigated and discussed the scope of invisibility of neonatal mortality through measuring the accuracy of official statistics on neonatal deaths. The second paper reports an inquiry of determinants of neonatal mortality by use of a population-based case-referent design. Paper III and IV analyse delivery care utilization and care seeking patterns prior to and at delivery using narratives and GIS technique. There was a substantial under-reporting of neonatal mortality in the official statistics, with study results showing a four times higher neonatal mortality rate in Quang Ninh province than reported to the Ministry of Health. This neonatal mortality rate of 16/1000 live births (as compared to 4.2/1000 in official reports) was unevenly distributed in the province, showing large geographical discrepancies. In the rural and remote areas of Vietnam education level is lower and the concentrations of ethnic minorities and poor households are higher. Ethnic minority belonging was associated with a more than doubled risk of neonatal death compared to the hegemonic group of Kinh (OR 2.08 CI 95 % 1.39 – 3.10). This increased risk was independent of household economic status or maternal education level. Neonatal mortality was also associated with home deliveries, non-attendance to antenatal care and distance to the health care facilities. However, ethnic minority mothers still had an increased risk of experiencing a neonatal death even if they attended antenatal care, delivered at or lived close to a health facility. The invisibility of the neonatal period in health information systems hides the true width of the neonatal mortality challenge. By not acknowledging the problem, the marginalization of already disadvantaged groups continues, leaving ethnic minority babies with an elevated risk of dying during the first month in life. This example of ethnic inequity highlights the importance to target those most in need. The studies of the present thesis should therefore be looked upon as a contribution to the struggle to illuminate the global burden of neonatal mortality.

The aim of the study on which this thesis is based was to gain an understanding of the life situation of street children in Kenya and to investigate how caring institutions care for these children.  A reflexive ethnographic approach was used to facilitate entry into the children’s sub-culture and the work contexts of the caregivers to better understand how the children live on the streets and how the caregivers work with the children. A fundamental aim of the research was to develop interventions to care; one of the reasons why we also used the interpretive description approach. Method and data source triangulation was used. Field notes, tape, video, and photography were used to record the data.  Participant observation, group discussions, individual interviews, home visits, key informant interviews, participatory workshops and clinical findings were used for data collection in Studies I and II.  In addition to observation, interviews were conducted with caregivers for study III, while written narratives from learners attending adult education developed and implemented during the research period provided data for study IV.  Study I indicated that food, shelter and education were the main concerns for the children and that they had strong social bonds and used support networks as a survival strategy.  Study II provided a deeper understanding of the street culture, revealing how the boys are organised, patterns of substance use, home spaces in the streets and networks of support. The boys indicated that they wanted to leave the streets but opposed being moved to existing institutions of care. A group home was therefore developed in collaboration with members of the category “begging boys”.  Study III indicated how the caregivers’ interactions with the children were crucial in children’s decisions to leave the streets, to be initiated into residential care, undergo rehabilitation and to be reintegrated into society.  Caregivers who attempted to use participatory approaches and took time to establish rapport were more successful with the children.  Study IV suggested that the composition of learners, course content grounded on research, caregivers’ reflections and discursive role of researchers and facilitators, all contributed to adult learning that transformed the learners’ perspectives and practice.

Background: Unlike other cancers, malignant melanoma (MM) is generally visible and can be easily and effectively cured if treated in time. Optimal cure of MM requires early detection, diagnosis, and treatment, which improves prognosis. However, patients as well as the health care organization and its professionals contribute to delayed treatment in various ways. Aims and objectives: The general aim of this PhD thesis was to explore reasons for delay in care seeking, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant melanoma. The specific objectives to be addressed were To explore patients’ decision making about seeking care for malignant melanoma To identify specific patterns in the decision-making process to seek care for suspect melanoma, as narrated by women and men To compare self-reported decision making coping styles between men and women in various ages, who live with or without a partner and are diagnosed with various stages of malignant melanoma in northern Sweden. To describe and compare patients diagnosed with MM, depending on their initial contact with care, and with regard to age, sex, and MM type and thickness, and to explore pathways and time intervals between clinics from the initial contact to diagnosis and treatment. Methods: In studies I and II, 21 and 30 patients, respectively, were interviewed about their decision making to seek care for MM. Study II focused on gender patterns in this decision making. The interviews were analysed using Grounded Theory (I) and qualitative content analysis (II). Study III included 270 people with MM who completed a translated questionnaire (Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire) about coping styles in decision making. In study IV the pathways and time delay in health care for 71 people with MM were explored. Studies I and II were qualitative, whereas studies III and IV were quantitative. Results: In study I, the insights into severity and feelings of fear and existential threat were identified as key motivators for patients to decide to seek care for a suspected melanoma. Results in study II showed that gender constructions influenced the care-seeking behaviour. Women acknowledged the skin changes and attempted self-care first. They delayed care seeking due to family responsibilities. Men seldom acknowledged the suspicious skin change, but sought care immediately after prompting, and most often complied with relatives’ advice to seek care. Study III showed that men generally scored higher in buck-passing, while women and those living without a partner scored higher in hypervigilance. Participants with nodular melanoma (NM), a rapid-growing form of MM, scored higher in vigilance than those diagnosed as in situ melanoma. No correlation was found between tumour thickness and coping styles. Some differences concerning treatment of MM were found in study IV between people who initially had sought care at primary health care centres (PHC) and those who had sought care at dermatological and specialist clinics (Derm). Thicker tumours as well as NM were more common in the PHC group. A larger proportion of patients from PHCs were primarily excided within the primary health care; however, almost all of them were later referred to surgical clinics for wide excision. Patients within the PHC group also had to wait longer for the registered results of histopathological assessments. In general, women waited a shorter time for primary excision, and older people waited longer for wide excision. Conclusions: Time delay of diagnosis and treatment of MM is still common, and crucial to decrease. Future interventions should include gender aspects to influence people to seek care earlier. In health care, time delay could be decreased by facilitating access for patients with suspected skin melanomas, but also by reducing unnecessary referrals. Moreover, organizational changes whereby general practitioners and primary health care nurses are supported in using new technology for faster diagnoses and management of MM in collaboration with specialist clinics should be considered. Easy access and frequently used guidelines for MM could further decrease delay. Lastly, more efficient transfer and registration of laboratory results and referrals could decrease delay and improve patient safety. / Bakgrund: Malignt melanom (MM) är till skillnad från andra cancerformer ofta synlig och kan enkelt och kostnadseffektivt botas om det behandlas i tid. En optimal prognos av MM förutsätter tidig upptäckt, diagnos och behandling. Patienter, samt hälso- och sjukvården, dess organisation och dess personal kan på olika sätt bidra till fördröjning av behandlingen av MM. Syfte: Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka orsaker till fördröjning att söka vård, diagnosticera och behandla malignt melanom. Specifika delsyften var:   Att utforska patienternas beslutsfattande process att söka vård för MM Att identifiera specifika mönster i beslutsfattande-processen att söka vård för misstänkt MM utifrån kvinnors och mäns egna berättelser  Att jämföra självrapporterade coping-stilar i den beslutsfattande processen mellan män och kvinnor i olika åldrar, boende med eller utan partner, och diagnosticerade med MM i olika stadier från norra Sverige Att beskriva och jämföra patienter med MM utifrån deras primära vårdkontakt samt utifrån ålder, kön, MM-typ och tjocklek. Ytterligare att utforska vård- och remissvägar samt tidsintervaller mellan olika kliniker från första kontakt till diagnos och behandling. Metod: I studie I och II, intervjuades 21 respektive 30 patienter om den beslutsfattande processen att söka vård för MM. Genuskonstruktioner i relation till den beslutsfattande processen var i fokus i studie II. Intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av Grounded Theory (I) och kvalitativ innehållsanalys (II). I studie III inkluderades 270 patienter med MM som besvarade ett instrument (MDMQ) avseende coping-stilar i beslutsfattande processen. I studie IV undersöktes övergångar mellan olika kliniker och remissvägar för 71 patienter med MM samt eventuell tidsfördröjning inom hälso- och sjukvården. Resultat: I studie I, identifierades insikt i allvarlighetsgrad samt rädsla och existentiellt hot till följd av tillståndet vara nyckel-motivatorer för att bestämma sig för att söka vård för misstänkt hudmelanom. Resultat från studie II påvisade att genuskonstruktioner påverkar hur personer söker vård för MM. Kvinnor upptäckte själv sina melanom och försökte tillämpa egenvård i början. De kunde dröja att söka vård pga. ansvar för familjen. Män upptäckte sällan suspekta melanom själva men följde oftast anhörigas råd att söka vård och sökte vård omedelbart efter påstötning. Resultaten från studie III visade att män i högre grad använde en avvaktande startegi (buck-passing) medan kvinnor och de som bodde utan partner var överdrivet vaksamma (hypervigilance). Deltagare med nodulärt melanom (NM), en snabbt växande form av MM, var mer vaksamma (vigilance) jämfört med de med melanom in situ, en mycket tidig form av melanom. Några korrelationer mellan tumörtjocklek och coping-stilar hittades ej. Vissa skillnader avseende typer av MM samt vårdens handläggning beroende på var patienter initialt sökt vård identifierades i studie IV. Bland patienter som initialt sökt vård på hälsocentralerna var tjockare tumörer vanligare jämfört med dem som hade sökt vård på hud- och andra specialistklinker. Dessa patienter hade också som regel genomgått den primära excisionen på hälsocentralerna och en majoritet blev senare remitterade till kirurgisk klinik för utvidgad excision. Hälsocentralernas patienter fick vänta längre på att det histopatologiska svaret registrerades i journalen än sjukhusklinikernas patienter. Kvinnor fick generellt vänta kortare tid på primär excision och äldre patienter fick vänta längre för utvidgad excision. Slutsatser: Tidsfördröjning av diagnos och behandling av MM är fortfarande vanlig och därför viktig att minska. Framtida interventioner för att påverka människor att söka vård tidigare bör inkludera genusaspekter. Inom hälso- och sjukvården kan tidsfördröjning minskas genom förbättrad tillgänglighet för patienter med misstänkta hudmelanom, men också genom minskning av onödig remittering. En förändrad organisation där sjuksköterskor och primärvårdsläkare i samarbete med specialistkliniker stöttas att använda ny teknologi för snabbare diagnosticering och omhändertagande av MM bör övervägas. Ökad kännedom bland hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal om riktlinjer for MM-vård kan vidare minska fördröjning. Till sist, mer effektiva och förbättrade arbetssätt kring registrering och överföring av laboratoriska svar och remisser skulle kunna minska fördröjning och därmed öka patientsäkerheten.

According to WHO, diarrhea disease is the second leading cause of death worldwide for children under five. Around 525 000 children under five are killed every year by diarrhea. Most deaths from diarrhea occur among children less than 2 years of age living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. With a comprehensive strategy that ensures all children in need receive critical prevention and treatment measures it is possible to save the lives of millions of children at risk of death from diarrhea. The aim of this study was to identify what kind of treatment has been given to under-five children with symptoms of diarrhea and what kind of care the respondent sought in Zambia, a low-income country. Method: A cross-sectional study with secondary data from Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS). The first-born child under five with diarrhea the last two weeks was selected in this study, to analyze what kind of treatment was given when showing symptoms of diarrhea. Out of the first-born children (n=7048) we found that 1 289 children had diarrhea during the last two weeks before the survey. Result: Of children having diarrhea 80% received some kind of treatment. Thirty eight percent of the children with diarrhea symptoms was given zinc and 67% was given pre-packaged Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). The first place to seek treatment for the child’s diarrhea was at the Government Health Center (66%)followed by 18% that sought treatment at the Government Health Post. Conclusion: This study showed that the treatment and care seeking behavior for caregivers to under-5 children with diarrhea is of public health concern. Less than half of the children receives zinc as a treatment and 67% receives prepacked ORS. There is a need for education and awareness on the efficacy of ORS and especially zinc in preventing diarrhoea mortality and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals target 3.2. / <p>Betyg i Ladok 210314.</p>