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
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
