Mothers knowledge on malnutrition: Community based cross sectional study

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 on nutrition can play a vital role in child’s intake to improve nutritional status. Objective: To assess the knowledge of mothers of preschool children regarding malnutrition and its management. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among mothers of preschool children. Five hundred and seventy mothers were selected randomly from 15 villages of Udupi Taluk. Pre-tested, structured knowledge questionnaire was used to collect the data. The level of knowledge was determined by pre-defined score. Results: Majority (31.8%) of the mothers’ educational qualification was lower primary and 32.6% of them have completed high school. Majority (83.0%) of the mothers belonged to poor socio-economic status, 16.0% were from middle socioeconomic status and 1.0% were from Below Poverty Line (BPL) family. About 65.44% of mothers were having average knowledge about malnutrition, 31.58% of mothers had poor knowledge and only 1.0% were having good knowledge. Conclusion: This reiterates the need for education to improve knowledge on malnutrition among the mothers.