Effect of Instructional Guidelines on Mothers' Knowledge and practices regarding Early Stunting Detection among Children under five years

Sobhy Hassan, Ghada; Ibrahim Mohamed, Heba; Lotfy Ahmed, Amany

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2022.246431

Effect of Instructional Guidelines on Mothers' Knowledge and practices regarding Early Stunting Detection among Children under five years

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ lecturer of community health nursing,Faculty of nursing,Ain Shams University-Cairo-Egypt

² lecturer of pediatric nursing,Faculty of Nursing, Kafrelsheikh University,

³ lecturer of community health nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Kafrelsheikh University-Egypt.

10.21608/ejhc.2022.246431

Abstract

Background: Stunting has a negative impact on a child's health, making them more
susceptible to disease and infection, as well as their mental and physical development, making
stunted youngsters less likely to reach their full height and cognitive capacity as adults. Aim: The
study aimed to evaluate the effect of instructional guidelines on mothers' Knowledge and
practices regarding early stunting detection among Children under five years. Setting: Maternal
and Child Health Center at Kafrelsheik city. Sample: A purposive sample included 163 mothers
combined with their children. Methods: Quasi-experimental design was used. Tools: First tool:
Structured interviewing questionnaire was used Part I: used to assess demographic characteristics
of mothers part II: Used to assess the mother's knowledge about stunting and knowledge about
proper nutritional Second tool: observational checklist for assessing mothers ' practices toward
growth monitoring. Results: The current study showed statistically significant differences
between the mothers' total knowledge and their practices regarding early stunting detection
among their children under five years pre/post instructional guidelines. Conclusion: The
Guidelines were effective for the studied sample regarding early stunting detection a significant
improvement was observed in the mean score and level of knowledge and practice among the
studied sample in post guidelines in comparison to that in pre-guidelines. Recommendation:
Conducting educational program to increase mothers’ knowledge about nutritional stunting,
monitoring growth & development of the child, and the benefits of early detection in treatment
through mass media.

Keywords