Impact of Maternal Literacy on Malnutrition in Children (0-5yrs) in Isele-uku, Aniocha-north Lga. Delta State
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study;
- To determine the nutritional knowledge of mothers.
- To determine the nutritional status of the children 0-5 years.
- To determine the morbidity of children 0-5 years
- To establish the socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the households.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR INFANCY AND
EARLY CHILDHOOD
A balance between high energy and nutrient content required for growth and development of infants and children in conjunction with regular physical exercise, should constitute childhood nutrition. Therefore, childhood nutrition should be made up of natural, fresh sources of energy and nutrients. The requirements for micronutrients and macronutrients are highly needed during infancy and early childhood than at any other stage of development. Institute of Medicine (2005) has reported that these requirements are triggered by rapid cell division that occurs during growth which requires nutrients, proteins and energy in DNA synthesis and metabolism of calories, protein and fat. With respect to energy, a 4kg infant requires over 100Kcal/kg (430 calories/day) while adults require 25 to 30 calories per kg, implying that energy needs during early formative years remain very high (Etim, 2016). Breast milk has been considered to be a significant energy source as it has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, allergies and obesity (Etim et al., 2017). Also, breastfeed has been proved to improve cognitive development and decrease the severity of infections (Leung et al., 2005). Equally, water requirement for infants and children is usually higher than that of adults due to the fact that children have a reduced capacity to sweat and have a larger body surface area per unit body weight when compared with adults (Etim et al., 2017). Regarding essential fatty acids, infants require higher fatty acid than adults. The conversion of linolenic and alpha-linotenic acid into longchain fatty acid through elongation and desaturation, plays a vital role in cognitive growth and development in infants (Ascherio and Willet, 1997). Other nutritional requirements include high supply of protein, iron, vitamins A and D and calcium. Also whole cow’s milk for one year old children, red meat for six months old babies, green vegetables, cereals, bread, etc., are highly recommended for children (Etim et al., 2017)
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN
Malnutrition is caused by several factors such as poor psychological care, neglect of children, child abuse, stress and trauma (UNICEF, 2007). For instance, mothers with psychological problems may lack the cognitive abilities to recognize that they need to feed their children, thus increasing the risk of under-nutrition in children.
Child factors
Certain child factors such as sex, age, diseases, breastfeeding and position of child in a household adversely affect the nutritional status of under-five children. An epidemiological study carried out in urbanslum area of Varanasi revealed that 58.3% of male children had protein energy malnutrition (PEM) while PEM was found in 68.6% of female children (Baranwal et al., 2010). In the same study, PEM was observed to be higher in 3rd year of life, and lowest during the 2nd year of life. Nyaruhucha et al. (2006), found out in their study that under-nutrition was most prevalent among children aged 24-35 months while children less than a year were less vulnerable to under-nutrition.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to impact of maternal literacy on malnutrition in children (0-5yrs) in isele-uku, Aniocha-North LGA. Delta state
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on the study impact of maternal literacy on malnutrition in children (0-5yrs). 200 staff of selected health center in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected from the respondents were analyzed in tabular form with simple percentage for easy understanding.
A total of 133(one hundred and thirty three) questionnaires were distributed and 133 questionnaires were returned.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on Impact of maternal literacy on malnutrition in children (0-5yrs) in isele-uku,Aniocha-North LGA. Delta state. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of maternal literacy on malnutrition in children (0-5yrs)
Summary
This study was on Impact of maternal literacy on malnutrition in children (0-5yrs) in isele-uku,Aniocha-North LGA. Delta state. Four objectives were raised which included: To determine the nutritional knowledge of mothers, to determine the nutritional status of the children 0-5 years, to determine the morbidity of children 0-5 years and to establish the socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the households. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected health centers in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made doctors, nurses, lab technicians and junior staffs were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Malnutrition in children is one of the health challenges in Nigeria. Malnutrition-related mortality and morbidity is a burden on national exchequer at one end and on health care institutions on the other. This important issue can be handled with multipronged policies and multidimensional and multisectoral cooperation and integration. The focus of all these programs should be the mother in terms of security, employment, literacy, justice, healthcare, food, shelter, and social equality.
Recommendation
Efforts should have clearly thought out strategies for targeting children in single parent households and in elucidating factors that place boy children at greater risk for malnutrition compared to girl children.
References
- Abbir, C. P., Gujal, S. and Gopaldas, L., 2006. The impact of maternal work status on the nutrition and health status of children @ archive. Unu.edu/unapress/food/8f13 le/f13IE03.htm.
- Action Against Hunger., 2012. Underlying causes of malnutrition. Retrieved February 13, 2012 at www.acctioncontrolafain.cc.
- Akinyele, I. O., 2009. Ensuring food and nutrition security in rural Nigeria: An assessment of the challenges, information needs, and analytical capacity. IFPRI – NSSP Background paper No. NSCP007.
- Ali, S. S., Haider, S. S., Karim, N. and Billo, A. G., 2005. Association of literacy of mothers with malnutrition among children under three years of age in rural area of District Malir, Karachi. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association. 2(3):13-19.
- Aliyu, A. A., Oguntunde, O. O., Dahiru, T. and Raji, T., 2012. Prevalent and determinants of malnutrition among pre-school children in Northern Nigeria. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition.11(11):1092-1095.
- Ascherio, A. and Willet, W. C., 1997. Health effects of trans fatty acids. American Journal of Nutrition. 66(4): 10065-10105.
