Community Perceptions and Management of Malnutrition in Children Under Five Years in the Central Tongu District.

Abstract

Introduction: Malnutrition remains one of the major problems confronting children in Sub - Saharan Africa (SSA). The nutritional status of children influences their health status, which is a key determinant of child survival. Therefore improvement of children’s nutritional status increases the chances of child survival and is considered as a precondition for their contribution to community as well as human development. The study was carried out to examine community perception and management of malnutrition in children under five years. Methods: Mixed methods approach was used. A semi structured questionnaire and a vignette was used to elicit information from 133 caregivers of children under five years. For qualitative one focus group discussion was also carried out with 12 caregivers. Results: From the study majority of respondents were able to mention causes of malnutrition. Causes cited included, poor feeding practices, which 85.7% caregivers agreed to, 85.7% also mentioned poor environmental and personal hygiene, 85.7% mentioned poor child care, and 86.9% mentioned poor birth spacing as a cause of malnutrition. Eighty seven percent of respondents agreed that cases of malnutrition can be managed by taking the child to the health centre, and majority (74.4%) of caregivers also disagreed that malnutrition was as a result of spiritual illness/curse and it can be prevented. Conclusion: Although, caregivers did exhibit some knowledge on malnutrition, it would be beneficial to reinforce their education with regards to the three categories of malnutrition. Especially stunting, explaining the consequences of long term malnutrition. This is very important given the fact that many cases of stunting go unnoticed to the untrained eye. Good nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child lays the foundation for health. Key words: malnutrition, children under five, community perception, community management.