THE ROLE OF MATERNAL LITERACY AND NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE IN DETERMINING CHILDREN’S NUTRITIONAL STATUS

THE ROLE OF MATERNAL LITERACY AND NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE IN DETERMINING CHILDREN’S NUTRITIONAL STATUS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Abstract

Chapter One: Introduction

Background of the Study

Statement of the Research Problem

Research Objectives

Hypothesis

Significance/Scope of the Study

Organization of the Study

Research Methodology

CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

CHAPTER THREE

Research Design

Research Methodology

Questionnaire Design

Population of the Study

Sample Size/Technique

Data Collection/instrument

Method of Data Analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

Data Analysis

Presentations of Data

Testing of Hypothesis

Interpretation

CHAPTER FIVE

Summary

Conclusion

Recommendation

Bibliography

Appendix

Introduction

A mother is the principal provider of the primary care that her child needs during the first six years of its life. The type of care she provides depends to a large extent on her knowledge and understanding of some aspects of basic nutrition and health care. It is understandable that her educational status has been reported to influence her child-care practices.

During the past decade, evidence has accumulated from several studies that maternal education is an important determinant of infant and child mortality [1, 2] . Chen [2] proposed that children born of educated mothers have a lower mortality risk because educated women tend to marry and have their first child at a later age than uneducated women. They also are likely to be more assertive and to play a greater part in intra-family decision making in favour of their children’s needs. Their husbands tend to be economically better off than those of uneducated women. Educated mothers may also make earlier and more effective use of health services. It may be postulated that mothers’ education would affect their children’s nutritional status by similar mechanisms, and various studies have shown some degree of association between mothers’ education and the nutritional status of children [3-5] .

It cannot be assumed, however, either that the mothers of malnourished children are necessarily ignorant or that all illiterate mothers. whether their children are healthy or malnourished, are ignorant [6] . Their knowledge of child nutrition and child-care practices can be expected to have a significant bearing on their children’s nutritional status, but conflicting results have been reported in this regard. Whereas some studies have observed a positive relationship between childhood malnutrition and maternal knowledge and beliefs regarding nutrition [7, 8] . others have shown no such relationship [9, 10] .

In the present study we investigated the effects of mothers’ literacy status and nutrition knowledge on the nutritional status of children. We attempted to determine whether literate mothers had better nutrition knowledge and to elicit specifically the impact of mothers’ nutrition knowledge on their children’s nutritional status, controlling for their literacy status and for family income, which is a well-established factor affecting child nutrition status