Effectiveness of Educational Intervention on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Children’s Mothers Regarding the Safe Use of Plastic Containers

Abstract

Background: Plastic first became available to consumers. However, improper use of plastic has a number of hazards that plastic poses, including health problems starting from manufacturing to consumption through the process of leaching. Aim of the study: this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of children’s mothers regarding the safe use of plastic containers and evaluate the effect of educational intervention on mothers’ knowledge, attitude and practice of children’s mothers regarding the safe use of plastic containers. Subjects and Methods: A Quasi-experimental design was used. This study conducted in three setting at Assiut and Sohag cities in Egypt. A total of 120 children’s mothers included using the convenience sampling technique. A structured interview schedule was designed to assess socio-demographic data and knowledge, attitude and practice of children’s mothers regarding safe use of plastic containers at pre- and post-intervention. Results: The mean age of participants’ mothers was 29.00 ± 5.41years. The study revealed statistical significance improvement for the satisfactory knowledge, positive attitude and proper uses’ percentages of children's mothers about the safe use of plastic (P= 0.000). In addition, there was a positive correlation among knowledge, attitude and practice of children’s mothers. Conclusion: The post-intervention improving of knowledge, attitude and practice pointed to effectiveness of the program. Therefore, the researchers recommended that all the health care providers such as nurses, village health guides, nurses working in community center or schools should provide in-service education regarding safe use of plastics.