Literate Mothers Research Articles

Impact of sociodemographic factors, sleep, physical activity, and sedentary lifestyle on central obesity in schoolchildren aged 6-12 years in Marrakech, Morocco.

Central obesity is a growing public health concern globally, and the recognition of its specific impact on Moroccan demographics remains scarce. This study examined the associations of body mass index (BMI) and central obesity status (WtHR) with sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle habits in a sample of school-aged children from Marrakech, Morocco. The study sample consisted of 1161 children (9.43±1.86 years old, 47% boys) who attended nine public primary schools. Trained nurses conducted anthropometric measurements to determine the children's BMI and waist-to-height ratio, with a value of 0.5 or greater indicating central obesity. The study also collected data on children's lifestyle habits through a self-report questionnaire. Nine percent of the children were classified as centrally obese. The children's age, sex, place of residence, family structure, phone ownership, mother's literacy, and being a single child were significantly associated with BMI (p<0.05). However, only being a single child and belonging to a single-parent family were significantly associated with central obesity (p<0.05). Children with central obesity, compared to their noncentrally obese counterparts, reported poorer sleep duration, more sedentary habits, and less physical activity, but no significant associations were found (p>0.05). High rates of central obesity among schoolchildren in Marrakech, Morocco, require targeted interventions considering various factors, such as sociodemographic background, family dynamics, duration of sleep, and sedentary behavior. Addressing this issue is crucial for better health outcomes for Moroccan children.

An observational study on menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents girls attending zilla parishad high school at Kommadi village in Visakhapatnam

Under RMNCH+A strategy, adolescent health program is relatively a new concept, particularly for female gender, and has been considered to be a continuum of health services up to adolescent age. The priority interventions among adolescent girls are, nutrition, Adolescent Friendly Health clinics (AFHCs), Counselling, Menstrual hygiene and preventive health checkups. Menstrual hygiene component has been taken for the present study among the adolescent girls in a Zilla Parishad High School aged 10 to 19 years. Rastriya Kishora Swastya Karyakram (RKSK) is broader one including both gender for distinct health services in India. : To study the association of various socio- economic and cultural practices influencing the usage of sanitary napkins by menstruating adolescent school girls. : Cross sectional study among menstruating adolescent girls in a Zilla Parishad High School at Kommadi village. 198 adolescent girls were randomly selected for study using semi structured questionnaire. Each menstruating girl is questioned categorically (yes/no) as per the structured questionnaire covering socio economic status, literacy of mother, awareness about ASHA etc. Appropriate statistical tests like frequencies, percentages and chi-square tests are applied to analyse and interpret the collected data.Socio-demographic factors of the target population in the community from where the adolescent girls attending zilla Parishad High school were subjected to study and found that 19(22%) adolescent girls having white ration card are using sanitary napkin. 46% of sanitary napkin users in our study are aware of using cloth available in the house during menstruation. 39 (52%) adolescent girls using sanitary napkin are aware of ASHA worker visiting their colony. One of the family members, either mother or elder sister being a member in Self Help Group in the colony is influencing the usage of sanitary napkin 46 (50.5%). Habit of Over-the-Counter drugs usage in the family has significantly (55%) influenced the adolescent school girls in using sanitary napkin. School drop-outs 51(62.9%) are also observed among sanitary napkin users during menstruation.: The usage of sanitary napkin replacing the traditional home-made cloth is highly essential for proper menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls attending the school regularly without drop out. The role of ASHA workers and other paramedical staff in the community cannot be undermined.

Determinants of childhood anaemia in India from 2005 to 2021: insights from the last three rounds of India National Family Health Surveys

Anaemia is a global public health problem affecting 800 million women and children globally. Anaemia is associated with perinatal mortality, child morbidity and mortality, mental development, immune competence, susceptibility to lead poisoning, and performance at work. This paper used data from India National Family Health Surveys (INFHS) carried out in 2005-06, 2015-16 and 2019-21 to identify the factors associated with childhood anaemia among children, adjusting for a range of covariates. In NFHS rounds of 3 and 4 after adjusting for standard covariates, in the probit model, it was found according to marginal effects, the probability of children being anaemic in urban areas is lower. Those belonging to the scheduled tribes have a higher probability of being anaemic in the two survey rounds of NFHS-3 and NFHS-4. Literate mothers were found to have a lower probability of anaemia in their children. In NFHS-5, in the binary logit model after adjusting for standard covariates, it was found that those belonging to the scheduled tribes were 1.348 times more likely to be anaemic compared to the scheduled castes. Maternal education was another significant factor determining the likelihood of being anaemic. Literate mothers were less likely to have anaemic children. This study provides crucial insights into the dynamic nature of childhood anaemia in India, utilizing data from three decades of NFHS surveys. It highlights the need for comprehensive interventions addressing socio-economic determinants, education of women, and behaviour change interventions to mitigate the burden of childhood anaemia in India.

Motherhood Role from a Postpartum Perspective: Effects Reflected by High-Risk and Normal Pregnancies.

High-risk pregnancies not only heighten concerns about the baby's health but also have the potential to impact the mother-infant relationship by shifting the mother's focus towards her own health needs. This study aims to delve into the intricacies of motherhood roles among women experiencing high-risk pregnancies compared to those with uncomplicated pregnancies, aiming to shed light on the disparities between the two groups. The participants of this descriptive, comparative, and correlational study consisted of literate mothers admitted to a hospital in Eastern Turkey, diagnosed with high-risk pregnancies, and with no prior history of psychological support. Due to an inability to reach the entire population, an unknown sampling method was employed for sampling calculation. The sample comprised 133 mothers with high-risk pregnancies and an equal number of healthy mothers, totaling 266 participants. Data were collected using the "Maternal Introduction Form" and the "Maternal Role Gaining Scale", and analyses were conducted using the SPSS Statistical Programme. Given the non-normal distribution of the variables, nonparametric tests were applied post reliability analysis. There is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the scores of maternal attitude and anxiety, as well as maternal role and the Maternal Role Gaining Scale, based on various demographic factors such as marriage duration, spouse's education, family economic status, pre-pregnancy health issues, medication use, hospitalization status and reason, assigned sex of the baby and desired gender, total pregnancies, mode of delivery, postpartum difficulties, support for baby care, feeding method, high-risk pregnancy diagnosis, and week of diagnosis. A Bonferroni corrected analysis also revealed significant differences between mothers with and without high-risk pregnancies.

Determinants of Neonatal, Infant and Child Mortalities in Iran: A Systematic Review.

Children mortality is considered as one of the main indicators of population development and health, while most of the children's deaths are preventable. This study systematically reviewed the determinants of children mortality in Iran. This systematic review was conducted to summarize all the factors associated with children mortality in three age groups; Neonate (0-28 d), Infant (28 d-1 yr old) and children (<5 yr old), based on the PRISMA guideline. Many of the electronic international and national databases, in addition to hand searching of reference of selected articles, grey literature, formal and informal reports and government documents were screened to identify potential records up to Jan 2022. We included all studies that identified determinants of child mortality in any province of Iran or the whole country, without any restriction. Overall, 32 studies were included, published between 2000 and 2022, of which 23 were cross-sectional and 15 published in Farsi language. The associations between several risk factors (n=69) and the child mortality were examined. Among the identified factors, 'birth weight', 'mother's literacy', 'socioeconomic status', 'delivery type', 'gestational age', 'pregnancy interval', 'immaturity', 'type of nutrition', and 'stillbirth' were the most important mentioned determinants of child mortality in Iran. Appropriate interventions and policies should be developed and implemented in Iran, addressing the main identified associated factors, resulting from this review study, with the aim of minimizing preventable child deaths, based on their age categories.

Child Immunization Coverage in Urban Settings of Twelve Provinces Plus Kabul, Afghanistan, 2019.

Background: Low immunization and discrepancies in data sources have been a consistent challenge in Afghanistan. The objective of this was to estimate the coverage of immunization status among children of 12-23 months in urban settings of 12 provinces plus Kabul, Afghanistan in 2019. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the capital of 12 cities of polio high-risk provinces plus Kabul during October-December 2019. A two-stage cluster sampling was used to approach 30 clusters and interview seven households. The coverage for 13 vaccines against 10 childhood diseases prioritized by the Afghanistan Immunization program was assessed through observation of vaccine cards or by history from caregivers of children. Epi Info v.7.2.5 was used for data management and analysis. Results: Totally, 3382 caregivers of children aged 12-23 months, of whom 50.8% were boys, were interviewed. The literacy of mothers was 35%, and 86.4% were housewives with no formal employment. The average age of children was 17.07 ± 4.05 months. In total, 1261 (37.29%) children were fully vaccinated, 833 (54.2%) were partially vaccinated, and 288 (8.52%) did not receive any dose of routine vaccine. Of total, 71.82% had vaccination cards, 17.24% had lost them, and 11% had no cards. Generally, coverage of immunization by cards and history was 91.70% for BCG, 52% for Penta, 78% for OPV-4, 63% for PCV2, 61% for Rota2, 68.50% for measles 1, and 58% for IPV. Nangarhar and Kunar provinces have the highest and lowest immunization coverage, respectively. Lack of awareness and time was the main factor cited by partially vaccinated individuals, while misconceptions about vaccines were reported among the unvaccinated. Conclusion: Child immunization levels, varying across cities, were suboptimal in the study population. Realistic goal-setting and awareness campaigns are necessary to address the low immunization coverage and fight against barriers in Afghanistan.

Knowledge on Nutrition and Dietary Diversity Among Community School Adolescents in Kathmandu Valley

Nutritional knowledge and practices among adolescents are critical to combat health problems that can continue into adulthood. The study determines the nutritional knowledge and dietary diversity and its associated factors among school adolescents of Kathmandu Valley. The study adopted a cross-sectional design of 487 school adolescents using multistage cluster sampling. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, Health Belief Model constructs, nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity were collected. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the factors associated with nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity. Nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity were found inadequate; 47.4% had adequate dietary diversity and 42.5% had adequate nutrition knowledge Variables that were significantly associated with adequate nutrition knowledge (versus inadequate) in the presence of other variables were compared to reference group included age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]= 0.83; 95% CI = 0.71-0.96), being from ethnic groups of Janajatis (aOR=2.79; 95% CI: 1.47-5.28) and Brahmin/Chhetri (aOR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.06-3.4), belonging to nuclear family (aOR=1.75; 95% CI: 1.18-2.6), literate father (aOR=2.16; 95% CI: 0.99-4.73), perceived severity (aOR= 1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.33) and perceived barrier (aOR= 1.02 ; 95% CI: 1-1.05). Variables that were significantly associated with consuming adequate dietary diversity (versus inadequate) in the presence of other variables include being male (aOR=1.52;95% CI: 1.01-2.29), having literate mother (aOR=1.7;95% CI: 1.02-2.83), consuming unhealthy diet daily (aOR=4.23;95% CI: 1.85-9.67), having adequate knowledge (aOR=2.4;95% CI: 1.59-3.63) and self-efficacy (aOR= 1.15;95% CI: 1.06-1.24). This study highlights the need for specific theories and model-based targeted interventions to encourage adolescents' healthy behavior and healthy eating.

Academic Stress among Adolescents of Rural Nepal: A Community-based Cross-Sectional Study.

Adolescents are in the transition phase between childhood and adulthood. Their mental health influences many aspects in their life as they go through many physical and emotional changes. Adolescent mental health is harmed by changes in emotional and physical state, as well as increased academic pressure. This study aimed to assess academic stress and its associated factors among adolescents in rural Nepal. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 424 adolescents residing in Karnali Province, Nepal. Academic stress was measured using Student Assessing Academic Stress. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine associated factors at the significance level of 0.05. Of the total students, 19.8% had moderate academic stress and 2.4% of them had high academic stress. Female students had thrice higher odds of having academic stress as compared to male students (Adjusted Odds Ratio:3.47; 95% Confidence Interval:1.91to 6.31, p-value:<0.001). Grade 10 students had higher odds of having academic stress as compared to grade 9 (Adjusted Odds Ratio:2.02; 95% Confidence Interval:1.13 to 3.61, p-value:0.017). Students of literate mothers were more likely to experience academic stress than those with illiterate mothers (Adjusted Odds Ratio:0.53; 95% Confidence Interval:0.29 to 0.96, p-value:0.036). Students with unsatisfactory academic performance had thrice higher odds of having academic stress as compared to students with satisfactory academic performance (Adjusted Odds Ratio:3.12; 95% Confidence Interval:1.46 to 6.67, p-value:<0.003). The findings of the study showed that high school students have academic stress, which is related to many factors at home and school. Understanding academic stress and parents and teachers providing the best support to the students could help lessen the burden.

Intestinal parasitic infections among children aged 12-59 months in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda.

Intestinal parasitic infections are a public health burden and a major cause of illness in developing countries. The diseases lead to various health threats, including growth retardation and mental health-related disorders, especially in children. We assessed the risk factors for intestinal parasitic infections among children aged 12-59 months residing in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using secondary data from 1,048 children aged 12-59 months whose stool samples were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites and whose results were registered in the laboratory information system in 2020. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in children aged 12-59 months was 53.2%. The dominant parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides (13.1%), followed by Giardia lamblia (10.9%), Entamoeba histolytica (7.9%), Trichuris trichiura (6.5%), hookworms (1.7%), and Taenia species (1.4%). A significant association was observed between intestinal parasites and the literacy of mothers or children's caregivers (odds ratio (OR)=5.09, P<0.001). Children from farming households were 2.8-fold more likely to contract intestinal parasitic infections than those from nonfarming households (OR=2.8, P<0.001). A significant association was also observed between intestinal parasites and food safety (OR=4.9, P<0.001). Intestinal parasitic infections were significantly associated with hand hygiene practices after using the toilet and washing fresh fruits before eating (P<0.001). The information gathered will help public health providers and partners develop control plans in highly endemic areas in Rwanda.

Factors Associated With Awareness Of Literate Mothers About Newborn Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study From A Low-Middle-Income Country.

To explore the awarenesslevel of literate mothersregarding newborn screening programmes, and to evaluate the associated factors. The descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Section of Chemical Pathology, Department of Pathology andLaboratoryMedicine,AgaKhanUniversity,Karachi,fromJanuary toSeptember 2021, andcomprisedmothers aged 18 years or more. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire about newborn screening, and the subjects were compared in terms of age, residential background, education and parity. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Of the 1016 responses, 896(88.2%) were analysed. The mean age of the sample was 37.7±10.87 years. There were 470(52.4%) mothers aged 31-45 years, 859(95.87%) were from urban areas, 751(84%) had a graduate degree, 652(72.7%) weremultiparous andhad824(91.9%)hadhealthy children.Overall, 386 (43%)mothershadawarenessofnewbornscreening programmes. The main factors associated with awareness were age, education, primiparity, having healthy children, and province ofresidencebeing Sindh andPunjab(p<0.05),while the urban-ruraldividedwas not a significantfactor(p=0.737). Cost of healthcare 417(46.5%) and lack of awareness among physicians 356(39.7%) were identified asthe main challenges in establishing newborn screening servicesin the country. The awareness among mothers about new born screening programmes was generally low among the subjects studied.

어머니의 미디어 리터러시 군집유형에 따른 코칭역량 차이 분석

Objectives The purposes of this study were to classified the type of media literacy of mothers, and to verify whether there is any difference in mothers’ coaching competency. Methods For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 293 mothers with children aged 3, 4, and 5. Cluster analysis using the sub-scales of media literacy was conducted. Then, the differences in coaching competency according to the clusters were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Scheffé. Results As for the clusters of mothers' media literacy, four clusters were found: ‘social communication’, ‘limited communication’, ‘factual understanding’, and ‘critical understanding’. As a result of ANOVA, ‘social communication group’ showed significantly higher scores than ‘factual understanding group’. but It was found that different sub-factors of coaching competency also occurred depending on the characteristics of the mother group. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to provide a high level of media literacy education for mothers instead of simply functional media literacy education for creating a healthy media environment at home.

The socio-demographic determinants of the outcome of type 1 cartilage tympanoplasty in children: Results from a tertiary-care teaching institute in India.

To explore whether and how the established socio-demographic parameters pertaining to a lower-middle income nation influence the outcome of cartilage tympanoplasty in children with chronic otitis media (COM), inactive mucosal variety. In this prospective cohort study, children aged 5-12 years with COM (dry, large/subtotal perforation) were considered for type 1 cartilage tympanoplasty following definite selection criteria. Relevant socio-demographic parameters were noted for each child. These included parents' education (literate/illiterate), living area (slum/village/others), mothers' occupation (laborer/business/housewife or home-maker), family type (nuclear/joint), and monthly family income. Outcome at 6 months follow-up was interpreted as "success" (favorable; anatomically intact and well-epithelialized neograft and dry ear) and "failure" (unfavorable; residual or recurrent perforation and/or discharging ear). The role of individual socio-demographic factor in determining the outcomes was analyzed with relevant statistical methods. The average age of the 74 children included in the study was 9.30±2.13 years. At six months, 86.5% had a successful outcome, with a statistically significant hearing gain (closure of the air-bone gap) of 17.02±8.96dB (p=.003). Mothers' education had a significant influence on the success rate (Chi: 4.13; significant at p<.05); children of ∼97% of the literate mothers had a successful outcome. Living area was significantly associated with success (Chi: 13.94; significant at p<.01); ∼90% of children living in the slum areas had success, compared to 50% of those residing in villages. The family type also significantly influenced the surgical outcome (Chi: 3.81; significant at p<.05); ∼97% of the children belonging to the joint families encountered success, compared to ∼81% of those brought up in the nuclear families. The success also depended on the mothers' occupation (Chi: 6.47; significant at p<.05); ∼97% of the housewife mothers had children who were successful, against ∼77% of mothers engaged as laborers. Another factor significantly associated with success was the monthly household income. Nearly 97% of the children belonging to families with a monthly household income of >₹3000 (cut-off limit set by the median value) experienced success, in contrast to 79% of those having a monthly family income of <₹3000 (Chi: 4.83; significant at p<.05). Socio-demographic parameters are valuable determinants of the outcome of surgical management of COM in children. For type 1 cartilage tympanoplasty, mothers' education and occupation, family type, living area, and monthly family income significantly influenced the surgical outcome.

Factors influencing the utilization of institutional delivery services by Chepang women in Chitwan district of Nepal

Background: Nepal has not yet achieved less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births of the SDG. To reduce the maternal death rates, a safe motherhood program has been implemented across Nepal to provide pregnant women with free delivery care in a healthcare facility, as well as transportation incentives promoting institutional delivery. Being a marginalized group of people residing in hilly slope areas, the Chepang population is deprived of significance usage of healthcare services. Objective: This study aimed to assess the incidence of delivery complications, and to investigate the factors associated with the utilization of institutional delivery of the Chepang women in the Chitwan district. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Rapti, Kalika and Ichchhakamana municipalities with a proportional random sample of 557 mothers. A face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire was performed to collect the data. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, the data were analyzed. Results: The results show that the incidence of delivery complications among those who utilized an institutional delivery was lower than the non-institutional delivery respondents. The literate parents were strongly associated with the increased usage of an institutional delivery (OR=12.08, 95%CI=6.32-23.06), and (OR=5.45, 95%CI=2.82-10.51) for literate mothers and literate spouses, respectively. Other significant factors were older ages at delivery of mothers as compared to younger ages mothers (OR= 3.28, 95%CI=1.83-5.90 for ages 20-29 year.; OR=3.75, 95%CI=1.80-7.83 for ages ≥30 year.), and engagement in business and services occupation of mothers (OR=2.01, 95%CI=1.01-4.01). The associations were observed for vehicle transportation to the delivery facility (OR =1.99, 95% CI =1.28-3.11) and travel time ≤30 minutes to the delivery facility (OR=2.80, 95%CI=1.58-4.96). Conclusions: The results revealed a lower incidence of delivery complications among those who utilized the institutional delivery. The analysis also demonstrated that age, education, income, and convenient access to an institutional delivery facility for mothers were associated with the utilization of institutional delivery of Chepang women. The findings could benefit health professionals in developing a health intervention to increase institutional delivery services for marginalized Chepang women.

Hubungan Tingkat Literasi Ibu pada Balita terhadap Keaktifan Kunjungan Posyandu

Introduction: Posyandu is one of the health service programs provided by the local village so as to make it easier for the community to check health, especially for pregnant women and toddlers, therefore the activeness of mothers and tollers is very important in this activity so that toddler nutrition is monitored and the health of pregnant women is monitored. Objectives: To determine the relationship between maternal literacy level in toddlers to the activeness of posyandu visits Method: The type of research used is quantitative, this research uses an analytical survey design using a cross-sectional approach. The researcher used a total sampling technique to determine the sample, so a sample of 120 respondents was obtained. This research used a literacy level questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q) directly using a door-to-door mechanism and assisted by local posyandu cadres. Data analysis used the chi-square test. Result: Based on the research results, it was obtained from the chi-square test of the relationship between a mother's literacy level in toddlers and the activeness of Posyandu visits, a p-value of 0.316 or p &gt; 0.050. Conclusion: There is no relationship between the literacy level of mothers of toddlers and their activeness in visiting Posyandu Nusa Indah RW 03 Cigombong Village, Bogor Regency. This happens because mothers use the internet to search for information about toddlers' health rather than getting information directly through the posyandu.

UMKM Mothers Literacy Understands Household Accounting in Facing the New Normal Era (Study on UMKM Mothers in Pekanbaru City)

Household accounting is not yet popular in Indonesia due to various factors. Among them are ignorance of its uses, such as providing peace because there is no financial deficit, self-control because following the budget that has been made, and satisfaction when the decisions are made right and the realization of long-term plans as revealed by several studies conducted by scholars in Indonesia. The participants of this community service are the housewives of Bakulan Kue. Because household accounting practices can be carried out by families who already have incomes that exceed the minimum standard of living. This is caused by low income in poor households, all income will be spent on consumption. The information that we provided turned out to be something that had not been practiced by the participants, especially in terms of recording. However, some of the participants have done budgeting in a simpler way by making allocations of daily and monthly expenditures in separate posts but without recording

Relationship between mother's oral health literacy level with oral hygiene behavior and self-reported oral health status in sociodemographic scope

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Oral Health Literacy (OHL) plays an important role in reducing the gap in promoting oral health. Oral health literacy of mothers is important due to maternal OHL can affect the family's oral health, especially in children. Sufficient OHL of mothers also help strengthen their capacities to improve their own and their children's oral health. The purpose of this study was to analyze the oral health literacy level of mothers and its relationship to the oral hygiene behavior and self-reported oral health status in the sociodemographic scope. Methods: The type of research was correlational analytics with cross-sectional techniques. The samples were 158 mothers, collected using purposive sampling in Parigi District, Pangandaran Regency. Data were collected using the Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) questionnaires which had been cross-adapted and included questions to assess oral hygiene behaviors with the Indonesian version of the oral hygiene behavior index. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and independent sample t-test. Results: The majority of mothers had a good educational level and did not get employment, and had a good level of oral health literacy, with an average score of 49.63±7.16. Dental hygiene behaviors were in the good category with a mean score of 3.13±0.82 and the results of self-assessment mostly stated that the oral and dental conditions were in a proper state. The results of the OHL correlation tests with oral hygiene behaviors and self-reported oral health status showed significant relations with low correlations (p=0.04; r=0.16) and (p=0.01; r=0.21). Conclusion: Mothers’ oral health literacy level is in good category and there are relations between oral dental health literacy with oral hygiene behaviors and self-reported oral health status.Keywords: oral health literacy, HeLD-14, oral hygiene behavior, sociodemographic, mother, oral health status

Relationship between low birth weight and infant mortality: evidence from National Family Health Survey 2019-21, India

BackgroundLow birth weight (LBW) predisposes physical and mental growth failure and premature death among infants. Studies report that LBW predominately explains infant mortality. However, existing studies rarely demonstrate the phenomenon of both observed and unobserved factors, which may influence the likelihood of birth and mortality outcomes simultaneously. In this study, we identified the spatial clustering of the prevalence of LBW along with its determinants. Further, the relationship between of LBW and infant mortality, considering the unobserved factors, has been explored in the study.MethodsData for this study have been extracted from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) round 5, 2019-21. We used the directed acyclic graph model to identify the potential predictors of LBW and infant mortality. Moran’s I statistics have been used to identify the high-risk areas of LBW. We applied conditional mixed process modelling in Stata software to account for the simultaneous nature of occurrences of the outcomes. The final model has been performed after imputing the missing data of LBW.ResultsOverall, in India, 53% of the mothers reported their babies’ birth weight by seeing health card, 36% reported by recall, and about 10% of the LBW information was observed as missing. The state/union territory of Punjab and Delhi were observed to have the highest levels of LBW (about 22%) which is much higher than the national level (18%). The effect of LBW was more than four times larger compared to the effect in the analysis which does not account for the simultaneous occurrence of LBW and infant mortality (marginal effect; from 12 to 53%). Also, in a separate analysis, the imputation technique has been used to address the missing data. Covariates’ effects showed that female children, higher order births, births that occur in Muslim and non-poor families and literate mothers were negatively associated with infant mortality. However, a significant difference was observed in the impact of LBW before and after imputing the missing values.ConclusionsThe current findings showed the significant association of LBW with infant deaths, highlighting the importance of prioritising policies that help improve the birth weight of new-born children that may significantly reduce the infant mortality in India.

Oral health literacy of mothers and its relationship to oral health status of their 3-6 years-old children

Oral health literacy of mothers and its relationship to oral health status of their 3-6 years-old children

Stunting education using the brainstorming method to increase mother literacy in Banyumas Regency

The limited information obtained by mothers is one of the obstacles in producing correct stunting information. This community service aims to increase mother literacy about stunting toddlers in the stunting locus village, Banyumas Regency using the brainstorming method. The stages of the program start from preparation, pre-test, giving material and post-test. The results of the pre-test and post-test showed that mothers' knowledge about stunting increased by 37% compared to before assistance. Knowledge that has increased the most is about how to handle stunting in toddlers (79%). However, there is no increase in knowledge about how to vary food that is good for stunting toddlers. Stunting education assistance activities using the brainstorming method need to be carried out routinely for mothers of stunting toddlers to increase their knowledge and change the behavior in handling stunting in their toddlers so that the prevalence of stunting can decrease.

Menstrual health and status of tribal adolescent girls of Balasore, Odisha

Lack of awareness, illiteracy, malnutrition, absence of personal hygiene and sanitation make menstrual situation worse for tribal girls. The aim of the current study to determine menstrual health, awareness among tribal adolescent girls, their source of information about menstruation before menarche, their menstrual hygiene practice, various cultural practices and restriction associated with it. Tribal community based cross sectional study was carried out on 450 tribal adolescent girls in various tribal areas of Balasore district of Odisha. Random sampling technique was used for selecting girls of the age group of 10-19 years. Data were collected by using interview guide. Only 39.5% of tribal girls aware about menstruation before menarche. Menstrual cycle was regular for 74.8% and 25.2% irregular for of girls. Around 61.7% girls used sanitary pads and rest used old clothes. All most all girls (100%) are restricted to attend religious function during their menstruation. To get rid from menstrual pain tribal adolescent girls drink a special herb juice, local name Ghushi or Gayasha (Atriplex hortensis) in Mitrapur panchayat of Balasore district. Use of sanitary pads for menstruation is more in late adolescent girls than early adolescent girls (X2=120.002, p=.00001), girls who have literate mother than illiterate mother (X2=7.49, p= 0.01), girls having housewife mother than mothers engaged in stone quarrying activities (X2=26.76, p=.00001) and girls belong to higher economic classes (I,II, III) than lower economic classes ( class IV, V) ( X2=7.18, p=0.01). Current study showed menstrual awareness and mother’s education play a crucial role in maintaining menstrual hygiene.