A Study to Assess the Knowledge and Correlate Feeding Methods Practiced by Mothers and Nutritional Status of their Children in a Selected Private Hospital Bangalore with View to Develop Self-Instructional Module

Padmanjali C B

Abstract: Malnutrition is a significant health problem in many countries as well as in India. It is mainly due to fallacious dietary habits which might leads to illness and infection in early childhood period and inadequate food intake will contribute to nutrition deficiencies and underweight in most of the children in India. According to recent studies, over a 3rd of all deaths in youngsters aged 5years or younger is due to under nutrition. Nutrition deficiency greatly interferes India?s socio -economic development and chance to scale back economic condition. There is an essential window of chance to stop under nutrition by taking care of the nutrition of young children within the first 2 years of life, women throughout adolescence, and mothers throughout maternity and lactation ? once proved nutrition interventions supply kids the simplest likelihood to survive and reach best growth and development.1 Methodology: A descriptive survey approach was used to correlate feeding methods practiced by mothers and nutritional status of their children in a selected Hospital at Bangalore. Simple random sampling technique was used. Samples consist of 100 mothers of reproductive age group and 100 children the age between 0-5 years of same mothers. Result: Breast feeding aspect highest score was 9 and response on feeding methods practiced by mother mean 6.98, mean percentage 77.56% and SD 0.84. Weaning aspect highest score 10 and response on feeding methods practiced by mother mean 7.11, mean percentage 71.10% and SD 1.08. Family diet highest score 11, mean 5.28, mean percentage 48% and SD 1.96. As per breast feeding methods practiced by mothers, (<50%), 56 percent had moderately satisfactory (51-75%) and 44 percent had satisfactory level (>75%) of breast-feeding practices. As per weaning methods practiced by mother?s 38 percent had not satisfactory (<50%) weaning practices, 50 percent had moderately satisfactory (51-75%). weaning practices and 12 percent had satisfactory feeding practices (>75%). As per family diet; 46 percent had not satisfactory feeding practices (<50%), 51 percent had moderately satisfactory (51-75%) and 2 percent had satisfactory feeding practices (>75%). Correlation between scores of feeding methods practiced by mothers and selected nutritional parameters of their children revealed that higher the knowledge level of respondents on feeding practices, better Is the outcome of nutritional parameters. That is, there exist a positive moderate relationship between feeding method practiced by mothers and present weight (r=0.1759), height (r=0.1524) and chest circumference (r=0.1162) of the study group. that there is statistically significant association between feeding methods practiced by mothers and demographic variables of mothers such as Family Income, education and occupation. The remaining variables are found non-significant. No significant association was found between feeding practices and anthropometric variables of children like age, gender, birth order, present weight, height, and chest circumference at p<0.05level. Conclusion: There exist a positive moderate relationship between feeding method practiced by mothers and present weight (r=0.1759), height (r=0.1524) and chest circumference (r=0.1162) of the study group the researcher concluded that there is positive correlation between feeding methods practiced by mothers and nutritional parameters of their children. Hence the score is positive the hypothesis was accepted.

Keywords: Malnutrition, Nutrition deficiency, descriptive survey approach, feeding methods practiced, Correlation

How to Cite?: Padmanjali C B, "A Study to Assess the Knowledge and Correlate Feeding Methods Practiced by Mothers and Nutritional Status of their Children in a Selected Private Hospital Bangalore with View to Develop Self-Instructional Module", Volume 14 Issue 8, August 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 301-306, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR25805221151, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR25805221151