International Journal of Innovative Research in Health Science

Introduction: Children are the future of a nation and their physical, emotional and intellectual growth is a crucial aspect of influencing society. Aim: The aim was to examine the effectiveness of aloe vera gel and zinc oxide in the prevention of peristomal skin complications in children with colostomy. Methodology: The current paper followed a quantitative evaluative design using a true experimental pretest- after test design. Sixty children were recruited and randomly divided into two groups namely Intervention Group I who received aloe vera gel and Intervention Group II who received zinc oxide. Analysis of data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentage, and chi-square test. Results: In Intervention Group I (aloe vera), the pretest mean score was 6.63 ± 2.297, which decreased to 1.33 ± 1.493 in the posttest, showing a mean difference of 5.30. The paired t-test result (t = 13.59, p = 0.0001) indicated a highly significant improvement after the intervention. In Intervention Group II (zinc oxide), the pretest mean score was 6.47 ± 1.94 and reduced to 3.27 ± 2.28 in the posttest, with a mean difference of 3.20. The paired t-test value (t = 10.77, p = 0.001) also showed a highly significant reduction in complications. Conclusion: The present study concluded that both aloe vera gel and zinc oxide were effective in reducing peristomal skin complications among children who had undergone colostomy surgery