Correlate the Health Status of Infants and Feeding Practices of Mothers in Selected Urban Areas at Dharapuram with a view to prepare: A Self Instructional Module

A child is unique individual he or she is not a miniature adult, not a little man or woman. Children are major consumers of health care. They are considered as special risk group. Majority of childhood sickness and death are preventable by simple low cost measures. A successful infant feeding requires co-operation between the mother and her baby. At no time in life is nutrition more important than in infancy. Adequate nutrition promotes the wholesome growth and development of the child. As a result of poor knowledge on the part of the mother regarding the nutritional requirements of her baby, many babies do not get adequate food between 6 months and 2 years of age, a time when the mother is a substitute for feeding. This study was aimed to correlate the health status of infants and feeding practices of mothers in selected urban areas at Dharapuram with a view to prepare a self instructional module. The research approach used for the study was descriptive survey approach. The design used for the study was descriptive correlational research design. Non probability purposive sampling technique was used to collect 100 samples of infants. The conceptual framework used for the study was based on the revised health belief model. Health status of infants was assessed by checking weight, height and head circumference using standard methods. Then the feeding practices of the mothers were assessed by structured interview schedule using rating scale. Self instructional module regarding complementary feeding was distributed to each study sample at the end of data collection. Data gathered were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Among 100 infants majority 78 (78%) of the infants had normal weight and 22(22%) had underweight. All the infants (100%) are having normal height and normal head circumference. Majority 78(78%) of the mothers had moderately adequate feeding practice, 11 (11%) had inadequate feeding practice and 11 (11%) had adequate feeding practice. There was a positive correlation r=0.55 between the level of feeding practice and the weight of the infants. The mean and standard deviation scores for the level of practice was 51.37 (SD± 6.3) and the mean and standard deviation scores for the weight of the infants was 7.49 (SD±1.28) respectively. There was a positive correlation (r=0.2) between the level of feeding practice and the height of the infants. The mean and standard deviation scores for the level of practice was 51.37 (SD±6.3) and the mean and standard deviation scores for the height of the infants was 67.93 (SD±3.17) respectively. There was no correlation (r=0.15) between the level of feeding practices of mothers and the head circumference of the infants. The mean and standard deviation scores for the level of practice was 51.37 (SD±6.3) and the mean and standard deviation scores for the head circumference of the infants was 42.2(SD±3.3) respectively. There is no significant association of weight of the infant when compared to the selected demographic variables except for the age of infant (Х2=9.58). There is no significant association of feeding practice of the mothers when compared to the selected demographic variables except for sex of the infant (X2 =5.98), type of family (Х2= 12.47) and source of health information (Х2= 17.75). The study findings revealed that adequate feeding practices of mothers will maintain the health status of infants