Knowledge of Parents of a Back-ward Community Regarding Malnutrition in Children
Abstract
Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) ia children has been considered as the most important problem in the field of preventive medicine particularly so in the developing countries (WHO, 1974). Various crash activities and nutrition programmes in our country could not bring an appreciable change in the over-all magnitude of the problem (ICSSR and ICMR, 1981). In order to have sustained improvement, parents education holds great promise Information education and communication (IEC) is emerging as an important tool in the delivery of Primary Health Care (PHC) as well as nutrition related services. For proper application of this tool it is imperative to have basal knowledge of parents regarding identification, causes and preventability of important nutritional disorders. The specific objectives of the present study were to explore-
(a)The ability of parents to recognise marasmus, kwashiorkor, vitamin A and vitamin B deficinc es with photograph of these disorders and also on description.
(b)Knowledge of parents regarding causes of marasmus, kwashiorkor, vitamin A and B complex deficiencies.
(c)Knowledge of parents regarding prevention of malnutrition disorders.
The important facets and concepts of a backward community of Banda District, Uttar Pradesh as revealed by the present study may be of immense help in planning a ‘Nutrition Education programme’.
