Mothers Knowledge on Malnutrition: Community based Cross sectional study Ansuya1,*, Nayak Baby S2, Unnikrishnan B3, George Anice4, Shashidhara YN5, Mundkur Suneel C6 1Assistant Professor, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India 2Professor, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India 3Professor, Dept of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India 4Professor, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India 5Associate Professor, Manipal College of Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India 6Associate Professor, Dept of Paediatric, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India *Corresponding author: Ansuya Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health Nursing, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal Udupi District-576104, Mobile: 9535894558, Karnataka, India, Email: ansuya.bengre@gmail.com
Online published on 7 February, 2018. Abstract Malnutrition is the major cause of many diseases and is a burden in developing countries. A child's intake can have a great impact on her/his growth and development. The mothers’ knowledge on nutrition can play a vital role in child's intake to improve nutritional status. Objective To assess the knowledge of mothers of preschool children regarding malnutrition and its management. Methodology A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among mothers of preschool children. Five hundred and seventy mothers were selected randomly from 15 villages of Udupi Taluk. Pre-tested, structured knowledge questionnaire was used to collect the data. The level of knowledge was determined by pre-defined score. Results Majority (31.8%) of the mothers’ educational qualification was lower primary and 32.6% of them have completed high school. Majority (83.0%) of the mothers belonged to poor socio-economic status, 16.0% were from middle socio-economic status and 1.0% were from Below Poverty Line (BPL) family. About 65.44% of mothers were having average knowledge about malnutrition, 31.58% of mothers had poor knowledge and only 1.0% were having good knowledge. Conclusion This reiterates the need for education to improve knowledge on malnutrition among the mothers. Top Keywords Malnutrition, mothers’ knowledge, mothers’ educational status, child, nutritional status. Top |