Mothers' Knowledge Toward Malnutrition of Children Under 5 Years Old in Al-Sabeen Hospital, Sana'a City-Yemen

Abstract

Background: 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 of nutrition can play a vital role in a child’s intake to improve nutritional status. Aim: to assess the mothers' knowledge regarding the malnutrition among the children under 5 years in Al-Sabeen hospital, Sana’a city. Methods: The study was conducted in Al-Sabeen hospital, in Sana’a city. The descriptive, cross-sectional study was used from February to May 2018 on 106 mothers. Convenience sample was applied to selected study participants. A questionnaire was used to collect data about the mother's knowledge toward malnutrition of children under 5 years old. SPSS was used to analyze of study variables. Data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistical in terms of frequency, and percentage, Chi-square values Results: More than half of participants were left in the city (39%) and (37.7%) had primary education. More than half of the samples were monthly income (15000 – 36000) and the high percentages (93.4%) of mothers were a housewife. The results of the study showed that highly statistically significant association between the Mothers occupation and their knowledge level (P- value= 0.000). The results of the study showed that no statistically significant association between family income and their knowledge level, (P-value= 0.27). Conclusion: The low level of knowledge was found among mothers toward malnutrition of children. The study recommended that the Ministry of Public Health and Population to set up awareness programs to promote knowledge of mothers regarding to breastfeeding and balance food.