Impact of maternal education on the development of severe acute malnourished children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v15i5.62145Keywords:
Maternal; Education; Development; Malnutrition; Severe acute malnutritionAbstract
Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a grave form of undernutrition that has been recognized as a medical and social disorder. Various factors contribute to the development of SAM, but the impact of maternal education on the nutritional status and development of the child is of paramount importance since focused interventions in this aspect can yield promising results.
Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives of the study are to assess the impact of maternal education on the development of children with SAM.
Materials and Methods: A total of 125 SAM children in the age group 12–30 months were enrolled in this prospective observational study from among those admitted to the nutritional rehabilitation center of a tertiary care center in central India. The developmental status of SAM children was assessed using the Developmental Assessment Scale of Indian Infants. The association of maternal education with the development of SAM children was analyzed.
Results: Overall developmental delay was observed in 44.8% of SAM children, whereas motor and mental development delay was noted in 45.6% and 44% of SAM children. The maternal education level was significantly associated with the overall development of the SAM child. (P=0.043 for motor development, P=0.017 for mental development, P=0.023 for motor developmental delay).
Conclusion: Maternal education plays a key role in improving the developmental status of SAM children, who are more prone to developmental delays across various domains. Efforts toward enhancing maternal education, especially knowledge regarding child nutrition and development, can reduce the incidence and improve the management of SAM in children.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The journal holds copyright and publishes the work under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license that permits use, distribution and reprduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. The journal should be recognised as the original publisher of this work.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
