The impact of mothers knowledge and attitude on malnutrition preventive practices in Thulamela Local Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

Malnutrition remains one of the major health problems facing South African children under five-years. Despite all efforts by the South African government to address and deal with malnutrition amongst children under-five in general, nutritional problems exist in Vhembe District. In 2017 alone, Thulamela Municipality recorded 523 severe cases of children under five-year affected with malnutrition and 68 of them died. In addition, 13 new cases of children under five-year severely affected by malnutrition were recorded in May 2018. Studies claim that mothers’ knowledge and attitude play a significant role in malnutrition preventive practices. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of mothers’ knowledge on malnutrition preventive practices amongst children under the age of five years in Thulamela municipality, South Africa. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used. Convenience sampling technique was used to select the respondents who are mothers of children under five-years old to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. Data was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. In terms of frequency and percentages as well as multiple regressions to assess the impact of knowledge and Attitude on malnutrition preventive practices. Validity and reliability were ensured, and research ethics were observed. Respondents held positive attitudes towards feeding their children frequently commensurate to the need for food. The study discovered that the majority (92%) of the respondents heard and understood malnutrition. Furthermore, the study found that the majority (88.4%) of the respondents knew that eating balanced diet food prevents malnutrition. Further research is needed to expose other factors associated with mother’s malnutrition preventive practices.