A national mass media campaign is planned in Senegal to encourage families to proactively care for their young children when they have diarrhea. The radio and television messages will encourage families to take their sick child to a health facility, give the child oral rehydration solution (ORS) as well as zinc supplements, and ensure that they give the zinc supplements for the recommended 10 days. In one region of the country, health care providers will be given additional training to improve their counselling skills when they interact with families who bring in their child with diarrhea for treatment.

HealthBridge will evaluate the changes that take place over time in diarrhea treatment knowledge, beliefs and behaviours. Before the interventions begin, HealthBridge will survey families and health care providers to assess the current situation in Senegal: what actions are taken by families when their child has diarrhea and why. After about eight months of the media campaign, we will conduct another survey to see whether family knowledge, beliefs and behaviours about child diarrhea treatment have changed.

• Micronutrient Initiative’s Zinc Program
• “Seeking treatment for diarrhoea closer to home in Senegal”

By measuring the effectiveness of the mass media campaign and health staff training to encourage families to proactively seek care for their young children when they have diarrhea and use ORS and zinc for the recommended number of days, we will generate new evidence on the potential value of these approaches for improving diarrhea treatment practices and reducing child deaths from diarrhea.