Table 3.

Knowledge and practice of mother/caregiver in flood-affected regions of Dasenech district, Southern Ethiopia, 2024 (n = 690).

Variables	Category	Frequency	Percent (%)
Child consumes foods other than breast milk	Yes	648	94.0
	No	42	6.0
Separate utensils are used for preparing food for the child (n = 648)	Yes	628	91.0
	No	20	3.0
What is the primary food or fluid consumed by the child? (if the child is not on exclusive breastfeeding (n = 648)	Cow’s milk	222	34.3
	Adults’ food	91	14.0
	Powder milk	27	4.2
	Gruel	308	47.5
What utensils or methods are used to feed the child? (n = 648)	Hand	87	13.4
	Bottle	339	52.3
	Cup and spoon	110	17.0
	Cup	112	17.3
Is the drinking-water storage container covered?	Yes	617	89.5
	No	73	10.5
What method do you use to retrieve water from the drinking-water storage container?	Dipping	630	91.3
	Pouring	60	8.7
Is a separate container used to retrieve drinking water from the storage container (n = 630)?	Yes	584	92.7
	No	46	7.3
Do flies transmit diseases?	Yes	619	89.8
	No	71	10.2
Is the child’s excreta disposed of safely?	Yes	376	54.5
	No	314	45.5
Can the excreta of children cause diseases?	Yes	596	86.4
	No	94	13.6
Where was the child born?	Health institution	474	68.7
	Home	216	31.3
What is the birth order of the child?	First	31	4.5
	Second	135	19.6
	Third	67	9.6
	Fourth and above	457	66.3
Has the mother/caregiver experienced diarrhea in the past two weeks?	Yes	289	41. 9
	No	401	58.1
What is the duration of breastfeeding for the child, in months?	≤ 6 months	108	15.7
	≥ 7 months	582	84.3
Has the child received the measles vaccination?	Yes	438	63.4
	No	252	36.6
Was the child exclusively breastfed?	Yes	486	70.4
	No	204	29.6