title: Micturitional dryness and attitude of parents towards enuresis in children attending outpatient unit of a tertiary hospital in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is significant variability of the age at which children achieve dryness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We determine the age at achievement of micturational dryness and attitude of parents about enuresis among urban Nigerian children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 346 questionnaires were administered to parents of children between the ages of 12 - 180 months who came for routine paediatric care at the outpatient unit of Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At age 36 months, 86 (51.8 %) and 34 (20.5 %) out of 166 children had achieved dryness at daytime and night time respectively. Achievement of dryness was significantly related to low maternal education (p = 0.022) and low social class (p = 0.009). Twenty-four (26.7 %) children had nocturnal enuresis. Four (4.4 %) of these children also had diurnal enuresis. All the parents/guardians were aware about enuresis but only 9.8 % correctly identified it as a health problem. Even though none of the children with enuresis ever visited health facility for their problem, a statistically significant proportion of the parents desire to discuss with health practitioners (p = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of children achieving dryness by age 36 months is very small when compared with children from developed parts of the world. There is also a high prevalence of enuresis which are not reported. Therefore, health workers in the tropics should as a routine enquire about enuresis in their daily paediatric care particularly for those children from polygamous homes and high social class.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Nigeria. senbanjo001@yahoo.com
authors.forename: I O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Senbanjo
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Oshikoya
authors.forename: O F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Njokanma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004775:Enuresis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population