Effectiveness of a Teaching Program on Knowledge of Diarrhea and Prevention Among Mothers.

DIAGNOSIS of diarrhea; PREVENTIVE medicine; EDUCATION of mothers; TEACHING methods; EVALUATION of teaching; MOTHERS; QUESTIONNAIRES; RURAL conditions; DISEASE management; PRE-tests & post-tests; HEALTH literacy; EVALUATION of human services programs; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; CHILDREN

Background: Accurate knowledge regarding signs and symptoms, spread, prevention of diarrhea, and healthy practices, such as exclusive breastfeeding, immunization, oral dehydration solution (ORS), and good sanitary conditions, are essential to prevent morbidity and mortality. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching program on knowledge regarding management of diarrhea and its prevention among mothers of children birth to 5 years of age. Methods: The study included 60 mothers of children under 5 years attending the anganwadis (a type of rural childcare center in India). To assess the knowledge regarding management of diarrhea and its prevention, a 7-day structured teaching program was conducted. A prestructured and pretested questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of the mothers by analyzing both the pre- and post-tests. Student t test and Chi-square test were applied for statistical analysis. Results: Literacy rate was 100%, and most mothers (53.33%) had a high school education. A significant association was obtained between the source of information and pre-test knowledge scores. In pre-test, the majority (n = 35) of mothers had average knowledge. In the post-test, most (n = 50) of the mothers had good knowledge, and 10 had average knowledge. Post-test knowledge scores of mothers regarding management of diarrhea and its prevention were significantly higher than pre-test knowledge scores (p < 0.05). A statistically significant increase was observed in the overall knowledge of mothers. Conclusion: Educating mothers regarding the etiology, prevention, and management of diarrhea through a structured teaching program can contribute in reducing the morbidity and mortality of children by enhancing the knowledge levels of mothers of children under 5 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]