Background: Diarrhea, a common disease, is one of the major determinants of childhood morbidity and mortality in India. Diarrhea is the 2nd most common killer disease among children below 5 years worldwide. The treatment is mostly initiated at home by the mother and their knowledge about how to assess dehydration, prepare and give ORS, and when to seek medical attention (recognizing danger signs) are very important in preventing morbidity and mortality. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study using a self-designed and pretested structured questionnaire to gather data on mothers' knowledge attitude and practice about diarrhea in children. A total of 200 consecutive mothers admitted for various diseases of their children, having at least one child below 5 years were included for study. Results: Regarding Knowledge, most mothers (98%) could define diarrhea and the causes were correctly identified by (81%). Dehydration as an immediate concern was identified by 62%. 75% knew how to prepare and give ORS. Only 9.5% identified increased thirst & 17.5% identified sunken eyes as danger signs to seek medical attention. All seven signs were identified by 1 mother (0.5%). Only 20% knew that a vaccine is available to prevent diarrhea. Regarding Attitude, 50% of mothers would wait for medical advice before starting treatment. 66% opined that breast milk should be continued. Only 31.5% opined that usual diet to be continued. Regarding practice, almost all were having good practices to prevent diarrhea. Conclusion: Even in a State where there is nearly 100% literacy, mothers' knowledge about identifying signs of dehydration and picking up danger signs in order to seek medical attention were poor.

Keywords: Knowledge; Attitude Practice; Diarrhea, Mothers.