Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (9)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by RUEL, M. T
Right arrow Articles by OLSON, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by RUEL, M. T
Right arrow Articles by OLSON, C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1992 Oxford University Press

research-article

Impact of a Clinic-Based Growth Monitoring Programme on Maternal Nutrition Knowledge in Lesotho

MARIE T RUEL*, JEAN-PIERRE HABICHT{dagger} and CHRISTINE OLSON{dagger}

*Institute of Nutrition of Centrel America and Panama (INCAP) Carretera Roosevelt, Z 11, Aptdo. 1188, Guatemala, Guatemala, Central America
{dagger}Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University Savage Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

Ruel M I (INCAP, Carretera Roosevelt, Z 11, Aptdo 1188, Guatemala, Guatemala), Habicht J–P and Olson C. Impact of a clinic based growth monitoring program on maternal nutrition knowledge in Lesotho. International Journal of Epidemiology 1992; 21: 59–65.

An evaluation of the impact of a nationwide clinic-based growth monitoring (GM) programme was done in Lesotho to determine if clinic attendance was associated with improved maternal knowledge of weaning practices and diarrhoea. A total of 907 mothers from eight clinics were included in the study. Our results showed that mothers who had attended the clinics knew more about the appropriate timing for introducing animal protein-rich foods in the child's diet and about the use of oral rehydration salts for diarrhoea, than those who had not. The difference in knowledge between previous clinic attendants and new attendants was particularly marked among mothers with less than secondary schooling and mothers with young babies (<6 months). From observation in the clinics, we believe that group nutrition education, although it was not integrated with growth monitoring, was probably responsible for the positive association between clinic attendance and maternal knowledge. Prior clinic attendance was not specifically associated with improved knowledge about feeding during diarrhoea or the need to stop breastfeeding gradually. These need to be better incorporated into present clinic nutrition education. Whether improvements in growth monitoring would further significantly improve nutrition education remains to be seen.

Received 1 August 1991


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 JAMAHome page
P. Buekens, G. Keusch, J. Belizan, and Z. A. Bhutta
Evidence-Based Global Health
JAMA, June 2, 2004; 291(21): 2639 - 2641.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.