Risk Factors of Pneumonia Among Under-five Children Attending the Public Hospital of Hadiya Central Ethiopia 2024.

Introduction: Pneumonia is an inflammation of the air sacs in the lungs in response to an injury, such as infection. When the lungs are also involved, it could be referred to as bronchopneumonia. It can be one area of the lung or several areas. According to international data, pneumonia has been the main cause of lower respiratory tract infection (RTI)-related morbidity and mortality. With an anticipated 505,000 deaths worldwide in 2021 (range from 454,000 to 555,000), S. pneumonia was the cause of the greatest percentage of all age-lower RTI-related deaths. Objective: To identify risk factors of pneumonia among under-five children who visit under-five OPD in Hadiya Zone public hospitals Central Ethiopia 2024. Method: An institution-based unmatched case-control research design was used in Hadiya zone public hospitals, with 160 cases and 321 controls of children aged 2-59 months included in the sample. The cases were children with pneumonia, while the controls did not have pneumonia. Ethical clearance was obtained. Data was entered using Epi-Data version 4.6 and analyses using SPSS 27 statistical software. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify determinant factors. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value ≤ 0.05 with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Result: Place of cooking (AOR: 2.75, 95%CI: 1.66, 4.58), History of Diarrhea in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 6.37, 95%CI: 3.63, 11.2), History of parental asthma in the family (AOR: 4.32, 95%CI: 2.31, 8.05), and a children received PCV vaccine during their infancy period (AOR: 2.09 95%CI: 1.24, 3.51), were found to be risk factors of under-five pneumonia. Conclusion: In this study, the risk of pneumonia among under-five children was significantly associated with several factors, including whether the children came from households where people cooked indoors, whether the children had experienced diarrhea in the past two weeks, whether the children came from families where parents experienced asthma, and whether the children received the PCV vaccine in infancy. These factors are of critical importance in the management of pneumonia among under-five children and therefore warrant interventions aimed at reducing the risk of pneumonia in this group of people.