Effectiveness of a Standardised Educational Package for Mothers of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition: A Hospital-based Randomised Controlled Trial
Introduction: Malnutrition is a major public health problem, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), contributing significantly to under-five mortality. New strategies are needed to enhance outcomes for childhood malnutrition. Aim: To evaluate the impact of an educational package...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2024-04-01
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Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/19230/66524_CE[Ra1]_F(IS)_QC(SHK_RDW_IS)_PF1(AG_SS)_PFA(AG_KM)_PN(KM).pdf |
Summary: | Introduction: Malnutrition is a major public health problem,
especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs),
contributing significantly to under-five mortality. New strategies
are needed to enhance outcomes for childhood malnutrition.
Aim: To evaluate the impact of an educational package on
mothers of children hospitalised with Severe Acute Malnutrition
(SAM).
Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based randomised
controlled trial conducted in the Department of Paediatrics at
Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Only children hospitalised between 6 months and 59 months of
age with SAM were included and randomised into an Intervention
group and a Control group. In the intervention group, verbal,
pictorial, and demonstration techniques were used to educate
the mothers. Anthropometric measurements of malnourished
children and maternal knowledge scores were compared at
baseline, 15 days, and two months postdischarge. Frequency
and percentage were calculated for qualitative data analysis,
while mean values with standard deviations were calculated
for quantitative data. Independent t-tests and paired t-tests
were applied, and paired t-tests were used for within-group
comparisons at different time points. Data was entered into
Microsoft Excel software, and analysis was performed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0.
Results: The mean age of children was 1.4±0.9 years, with the
majority below two years of age (86.4%). The male-to-female
ratio was 1.04 (n=154 versus n=148). Most subjects belonged
to lower or upper-lower socio-economic classes (75%). Mothers
were commonly educated up to the primary school level (48%).
Both study groups had similar socio-demographic profiles.
There was a significant weight gain (p-value <0.01) and height
gain (p-value <0.01) in the intervention group at the end of the
follow-up period. Maternal knowledge gain in the intervention
group was also significantly higher than in the control group
(p-value <0.01).
Conclusion: This study supports maternal educational strategies
as a low-cost intervention to address early childhood malnutrition
in resource-limited settings. Further research is needed to
standardise the intervention and assess long-term impact. |
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ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |