The Impacts Of Nutrıtıon Educatıon On The Preventıon and Treatment Of Malnurıtıon In Mjral Area

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the impacts of nutritio n education and supervision of midwives by a dietetician, on the prevention and tre a tm en t of ma lnutrition of children. The study wascarried on in 6 villages of Çubuk District (Ankara) ■—Where children were followed up periodically as a routine— and in 2 villages of Altındağ District (Ankara) —where children vveren’t follovved up by midvvives— for one year (from September 1984 to September 1985). The midvvives who are in charge of matem a l and child care in these villages \vere seperated into four groups. Both of the mid\vives of the first and second group were given n u trition education by a dietician at the beginning of the study. In addition to education, the midvvives of the first group were supervised by the same dietetician throught the study. The midvvives of the third and fourth group vvere neither given n u trition education nor supervised. The only difference betvveen the 3rd and 4th groups was th a t th s children in the 3rd group were followed up regularly by the midvvives \vhile they vveren't in the 4th group. After the confirmation of the nutritional status of ali child ren in the 0 - 2 4 months age group, 91 n}alnourisned children vve re p ut in the 'treatment study’, and 137 healthy babies (0 -6 months old) in the ’prevention study’. While there vvere no significant difference between the groups in ali respects at the beginning of the study, malnutrition prevalance and incidence rates in the first group vvere found significantly lovver than the oth e r 3 groups at the end of the study. Also, healing rate of the malnourished children in the first group \vas significantly higher then others Malnutrition incidence rate in the second group vvas significantly lovver than the 3rd and 4th groups as vvell, b u t malnutrition prevalance and healing ra te of malnourished children didn’t change sig nificantly. There vvere no difference betvveen the 3rd and 4th groups at the end of study. Findings of this study imply th a t nutrition education of the midvvives may prevent children from malnutrition and in addition to education, supervision by a nutritionist makes it extensively possible to control malnutrition problem in the community.