Factors associated with home-based management of diarrhoea in children under 5 years among parents/guardians in the Ndongo community of Buea, South-West Region of Cameroon

Background: Diarrhoea remains a major cause of illness and death among children under-five year of age in sub‑Saharan Africa, where home-based care is often the first response and depends heavily on caregivers’ knowledge and practices. This study assessed the factors associated with home-based management of childhood diarrhoea among parents and guardians in the Ndongo community of Buea, Cameroon. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 385 participants recruited through snowball sampling. Data were collected using an interviewer‑administered questionnaire assessing knowledge and home‑management practices, then analyzed using descriptive and multivariate logistic regression statistics. Results: The mean participant age was 26.21±7.11 years. Overall, 47.0% demonstrated good knowledge, while 45.7% exhibited good practices related to diarrhoea management. Good knowledge was more likely observed among women (aOR=1.112; 95% CI: 1.089-2.874), mothers compared with guardians (aOR=1.339; 95% CI: 1.192-1.798), individuals with tertiary education (aOR=1.388; 95% CI: 1.113-3.302), and those who were employed (aOR=2.108; 95% CI: 1.072-4.145). Good practices were likely reported by participants who attended tertiary education (aOR=1.443; 95% CI: 1.132-4.846), having two to three under‑five children (aOR=2.12; 95% CI: 1.272-3.534), and possessing good knowledge (aOR=2.383; 95% CI: 1.551-3.659). Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate suboptimal levels of knowledge and practices amongst parents and caregivers of under-five children in Ndongo, supporting the need for strengthening caregiver awareness, mainly in the context the ongoing socio‑political unrest in Buea, which may further limit access to timely healthcare and reliable information.