Health Needs among Preschool Children in Rural Areas

The aim of this study was to: Assess health needs among preschool children in rural
areas. Setting: Governmental Nursery School in Gharbiya Govemorate Tanta Basyoun
center, which about 38 Governmental Nursery School. Sample: A multi stage sampling will
be used in this study to get study participants and the final sample size was (200) participant.
Tools: First tool, Structured interviewing questionnaire by the investigator to assess socio-
demographic data, current health status for preschool child, mother’s knowledge regarding
health needs &problems of their preschool child, mother's practices. Second tool,
Observational checklist to assess growth and development through Anthropometric
measurements. Results: The mean age of the studied children was 4.2±0.81, more than half
of them were males. More than half of mothers were satisfactory in total knowledge. More
than half of preschool children didn't have health problems. More than half of mother's
reported practice was always in physical health needs, psychological, social, and cognitive
and security needs and the majority of studied children were normal in their total growth and
development. Conclusion: There was a highly statistically significant relation between
socio-demographic characteristics and mother's knowledge regarding health needs&
problems among their preschool children. Also, there was highly statistically significant
relation between total practice with age of mother, Mother education level and mother's job.
There was positive statistically significant correlation deference between total knowledge
and Total practice, negative statistically significant correlation deference between total
knowledge and Total health problems and negative statistically significant correlation
between Total practice and Total health problems. Recommendations: Counseling programs
for mothers to improve their knowledge and practice toward achievement of health needs for
their preschool children, Provide proper health education for mothers to improve their
practices toward resolving any problem may face their preschool children. Particular effort
should therefore be made to ensure this knowledge is rightly acquired. Other means of
knowledge acquisition for mothers who do not have a formal education or cannot complete
education above primary school should be employed. More importantly, programs should
identify which child care practices should be encouraged to enhance maternal and child
nutrition and health; promoting such could mitigate the negative association of mother’s lack
of education with children’s health. Finally, adult education through behavioral change
communications would be an effective means for reaching out to poor and less educated
Nigerian women. -Follow up frequently to early detection of health problems and unachieved
health needs of preschool children in all nursery school all over the government.