Correlation of Mother’s Knowledge on Child Nutrition, Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Children in Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study
Introduction: Malnutrition is a critical health problem in many countries, including India. The main reason for this is incorrect dietary habits that lead to illness and infections in early childhood. Inadequate food intake can hinder the growth and development of children. Childhood malnutritio...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/18661/64983_CE[Ra1]_F(SL)_QC(KK_RDW_IS)_PF1(AG_DK)_PFA(AG_KM)_PN(KM).pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: Malnutrition is a critical health problem in many
countries, including India. The main reason for this is incorrect
dietary habits that lead to illness and infections in early childhood.
Inadequate food intake can hinder the growth and development
of children. Childhood malnutrition can impair psychological and
intellectual development, which can subsequently result in low
school performance and behavioural disturbances. Therefore,
child nutrition is of utmost importance. The knowledge and
feeding practices of mothers can significantly influence child
nutrition. Hence, it is essential to study the knowledge, feeding
practices, and nutritional status of children as influenced by
their mothers.
Aim: To was to determine the correlation between the knowledge
of mothers regarding child nutrition, their feeding practices, and
the nutritional status of children.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study
was conducted in a 1050-bed multispecialty tertiary care
hospital in Mangaluru, Karnataka, India, from December 30,
2021, to August 30, 2022. A total of 150 children under the
age of five, visiting the hospital accompanied by their mothers,
were selected as study participants using a non probability
convenience sampling technique. Data was collected using a
demographic proforma, a structured knowledge questionnaire
on child nutrition, a structured checklist on feeding practices,
and anthropometric measurements of children, which were
taken using a digital weighing scale and stadiometer. Descriptive
statistics including mean, frequency, percentage, Karl Pearson’s
correlation coefficient, and World Health Organisation (WHO)
Anthro software were used for statistical analysis.
Results: The majority of the study participants, 96 (64%), had
average knowledge regarding child nutrition, while all of them had
good child feeding practices. Regarding the nutritional status of
the children, the majority fell under the normal category based on
weight for height (123, 82%), weight for age (118, 78.67%), and
height for age (104, 69.33%). The study also revealed a significant
correlation between the knowledge of mothers, feeding practices,
and nutritional status of children (p-value <0.05).
Conclusion: The study concluded that although majority of
the study participants had a normal nutritional status and their
mothers had average knowledge, regular awareness programs
could be conducted, and the nutritional status of children needs
to be regularly monitored. |
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| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |