A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Expressed Practice regarding Childhood Obesity among Mothers of Children under 14 years
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Childhood obesity is a complex chronic (long-term) condition that happens when the child is above a healthy weight for their age, height and sex assigned at birth. The medical definition of childhood obesity is having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex in children aged 2 years and older.
OBJECTIVES
- To assess the knowledge regarding childhood obesity among mothers of children under 14 years of age in selected community, New Delhi.
- To assess the attitude regarding childhood obesity among mothers of children under 14 years of age in selected community, New Delhi.
- To assess the expressed practice regarding childhood obesity among mothers of children under 14 years of age in selected community, New Delhi.
METHOD
The current study employed a quantitative research approach with a descriptive research design. A total of 106 samples were collected using a purposive sampling technique from a selected community in New Delhi. Data was gathered through a structured questionnaire, utilizing a Likert scale and a checklist. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.
RESULT
The results of the study indicate that, out of 106 samples, the majority of mothers (40.56% ) demonstrated an average understanding of childhood obesity. Additionally, (33.02%) of mothers had good knowledge, while only 26.42% had poor knowledge regarding the issue. In terms of attitudes toward childhood obesity, a significant majority (88.67%) of mothers had a favorable attitude, while 11.33% exhibited an unfavorable attitude. When it comes to expressed practices related to childhood obesity, only 15.09% of mothers had good practices, 81.14% had average practices, and a mere 3.77% had poor practices.
CONCLUSION
The study's findings indicated that the majority of mothers had average knowledge about childhood obesity. Additionally, 88.6% of mothers displayed a favorable attitude, while 81.1% of mothers expressed average practices related to childhood obesity.
References
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