Awareness and management of undernutrition among children under five years

Abstract

Undernutrition persists as a major threat to both physical development and health of millions of children below age five in developing countries. There are possible determinants associated with the prevalence of undernutrition among children under five years. The purpose of the study was to examine the awareness and management of undernutrition among children under five years in Nkanfoa in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Three specific research questions were developed to guide the study. The qualitative research design was adopted for the study. The purposive sampling technique was used to select eighteen caregivers. Data was collected from interviewees using semi-structured interview guide. The data was manually categorised to generate similarities and differences in opinions, which were used to form themes for discussions. The findings showed that a greater number (ninety percent) of the interviewees were able to mention determinants of undernutrition, but were unable to identify the three categories of undernutrition. Responses from caregivers suggested that their occupation and large family sizes, as well as feeding practices, are factors that negatively impact the nutritional status of their children. Additionally, the interviewees agreed that cases of undernutrition had the potential to be addressed by medical, spiritual and traditional means. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the Nutrition Officers and Community Health Nurses in the community need to encourage educational campaigns that focus on teaching community members how to use food available, what the foods contain and how to combine these foods to achieve nutritionally adequate meals to prevent undernutrition.