Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of childcare practices on the
nutritional status of children aged 6-24 months in Kilosa and Morogoro Urban
districts. A sample of 300 mother-child pairs was randomly selected and interviewed
using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study revealed that,
some of the socio-economic characteristics such as marital status, family size,
education of the mothers, source of income, sex and age of the child had a positive
effect on the nutritional status of the children. About 76.1% (n=285) of the children
were currently breastfeeding. Majority of mothers (75%) started breastfeeding
immediately after delivery i.e. first hour post delivery. The prevalence of exclusive
breastfeeding was 24.4%, however the frequency of feeding of the children was
lower than the recommended 5 times/day. There was high immunization coverage
(98%) and growth monitoring visits. The study also revealed that, most of the
mothers (98%) delivered their babies in health facilities and were assisted by trained
medical personnel during delivery. In addition, the diseases which were associated
with unhygienic conditions namely diarrohea (35.3%), running nose (37.9%), cough
(38.2%) and vomiting (16.8%) affected many children compared to malaria (4.6%)
and fever (40.4%). Poor nutritional status was more prevalent among the children
aged 19-24 months. Prevalence of stunting in Morogoro urban and Kilosa districts
were 15 and 18% respectively, however the prevalence of underweight was slightly
lower in Morogoro urban (14.5%) than Kilosa district (14.9%). The study alsoiii
revealed that, nutrition education intervention for the mothers improved significantly
their child-care practices related to breastfeeding, feeding frequency, personal
hygiene and hygiene of the general environment. It was concluded out of the study
that, mothers should be educated and encouraged to start the antenatal clinic early
month) and whenever possible, they should start the pre-natal clinic before
conception. This will help in advising them on appropriate care practices during
gestation e.g. appropriate weight gain based on pre-conception BMI.
