Academic literature on the topic 'Mothers Nepal Attitudes'

Introduction: Medical students’ attitude towards communication skills is crucial for curriculum planners, teachers and health professionals. Chitwan Medical College (CMC) is a private medical school admitting students mainly from the Nepal. Objective: To assess the attitudes of medical students towards learning communication skills. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among third and fifth year medical (MBBS) undergraduates at Chitwan Medical College (CMC), Nepal in April 2018 using the 26-itemCommunication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) developed by Rees, Sheard, and Davies. Participants ‘age, sex, year of study, nationality, religion, relationship status, the occupation of father and mother, place of residence of a family, were noted. The CSAS scores were computed. Student’s t-test and ANOVA test were used to compare the scores among subgroups of participants. Results: The mean positive attitudes scale (PAS), negative attitudes scale (NAS) and overall CSAS scores were 51.77  5.21, 35.68  4.43, and 83.97  5.77 respectively. PAS score was statistically significantly higher among the respondents whose mothers were not in the health-related profession. Whereas NAS score was statistically significantly lower among females, self-rated outstanding students, and good self-reported written communication skills. Conclusion: Medical undergraduates had strong positive attitudes towards learning communication skills, but negative attitudes were also noted. Hence, faculty members need to change these attitudes through improving teaching and assessment strategies.

Background Play is a cherished part of childhood that offers children holistic developmental benefits and parents the opportunity to fully engage with their children. However, modern-day children are spending significantly less time in outdoor play due to a number of factors including technological advancements, more time involved in structured activities, and a greater emphasis on early cognitive learning. Objective To assess perception of mothers on their children’s play. Method This was a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among the 228 mothers having at least one child children who attended in Paediatric OPD of Dhulikhel hospital of Nepal from 21st June, 2018 to 16th July, 2019. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (IRC) of Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS). Research instrument was developed by Barnett and was adopted for this study with permission from the author. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select mothers and face to face interview was carried out to collect information. Result Perception on play of children in the mothers was varied. Most of mothers agreed on different subscales of play with mean range 2.07-3.01 in which they were agreed on freedom play with mean score 3.01±0.40, importance of play with mean score 2.93±0.37 and nearly agreed on maternal rule with mean score 2.89±0.50, play safety with mean score 2.92±0.36, child’s choice with mean score 2.96±0.49 and disagreed on imaginative play with mean score 2.42±0.59 and gender typing with mean score 2.07±0.51. Conclusion Although almost all respondents had positive attitudes towards different component of the play, they disagreed on gender typing and imaginative play which is very important for developing problem solving skill of children based on their gender. So, nursing faculties, pediatricians and nurses can use the findings to develop awareness on importance of gender typing and imaginative play among mothers.

Background: This study explores food beliefs among poor mothers related to feeding their offspring. Mothers’ misconception of a healthy diet is one of the major causes of nutritional problems in preschool-aged children in Nepal and these beliefs and attitudes can result in the inappropriate feeding of young children. Objectives: The main objectives of this study were:• identify major barriers for recommending healthy food that are associated with existing cultures, religions and ethnic divisions;• assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about nutritious food amongst mothers;• assess health-seeking behaviour for children of low socio-economic status. Methods: Study used a qualitative focus group discussion. Fifty participants took part in seven focus groups to explore their food beliefs. The qualitative focus groups aimed to collect in-depth information around food beliefs and data were thematically analysed. Results: The study identified six key themes: (a) poverty; (b) knowledge; (c) policy; (d) beliefs about breastfeeding; (e) food beliefs: and (f) health-seeking behaviours/cultural influences. Many participants thought that illiterate and underserved populations are generally exposed due to financial scarcity, poor knowledge and strongly rooted in cultural practices, and beliefs. This study found ‘diversified views’ as a major barrier to food and health-seeking behaviours. Some groups recognised the negative effects of existing beliefs and taboos. However, the spiritual healers highlighted the importance of linking beliefs with cultural and religious norms and values. They showed the complex relationships between food and health-seeking behaviours and food recommendations with financial status and the perceived cultural practices of society. Conclusions: This study suggests that a public health approach is needed to address nutrition problems associated with behaviour and revealed major barriers which were associated with poverty, resources, and mothers’ education level.

Background: Pregnant and breastfeeding women are more susceptible to viral infection and in the year 2020 they have to face the COVID-19 pandemic. Since, no successful treatment and vaccine has been developed so far, efforts to enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of the public, especially the high-risk groups like pregnancy and postpartum period are crucial to manage COVID-19 pandemic. Objective To analyze the knowledge, attitude, practice and hospital experience regarding COVID-19 among post-partum mothers at a tertiary care center of Nepal Method The data collection was based on direct interview after receiving written consent from the research participants, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 4 major domains- knowledge (8 questions), attitude (6 questions), practice (5 questions) and experience (5 questions). Standard descriptive statistics were used for the data, mean and standard deviation for continuous variables whereas frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Result A total of 203 post-partum women participated in the study. Almost all the participants had heard about COVID-19 (96.6%). A majority of them were aware about how COVID-19 gets transmitted and its preventive measures. Most of the participants (88.2%) knew that COVID-19 has effects on pregnancy. Almost all of participants (97%) wore mask during hospital stay. All of the women washed their hands with soap water or alcohol based sanitizer. A majority of the mothers (79.3%) wore mask while breastfeeding their baby. Conclusion The post-partum mothers have good knowledge, attitude, practice and experiences regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Safe motherhood practice is still poor among the unprivileged groups like the Dalit of Nepal. Low socio-economic condition and lack of awareness in the Dalit community seems to have negative impact on women health and safe motherhood practice. This paper describes the practice of safe motherhood in the Dalit community based on quantitative data collected from 120 mothers. The respondents were interviewed by using interview schedule. It is concluded that lack of education and awareness, low socioeconomic condition, teenage marriage and early pregnancy, improper antenatal care service, unsafe delivery at home, improper postnatal checkup and traditional attitudes indicate that safe motherhood practice is not satisfactory in the Dalit community. Academic Voices, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2012, Pages 63-68 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/av.v2i1.8291

Background: Each year, 600,000 children under 5 years old die from vaccine-preventable diseases globally. Immunization is an effective way to prevent many diseases, saving two to three million lives per year. The Nepal National Government recommends vaccinations for all children for 11 diseases by 15 months of age. However, only 78% of children between 1-2 years of age have received all recommended vaccines and only 43% receive them at the age-appropriate times for which they are scheduled. Objectives: This protocol describes the development of an intervention – called “Rejoice Architecture” – that is informed by three theoretical perspectives: choice architecture, the broken windows theory, and the theory of normative social behavior. We also describe a mixed-methods approach to develop the intervention, which will improve the physical and social environments of health facilities in Makwanpur, Nepal. We hypothesize this intervention will improve immunization behaviors and intentions among mothers of children younger than 2 years, pregnant women, and prospective mothers. Methods: We describe the qualitative formative assessment to understand existing attitudes, norms, and behaviors among caregivers, healthcare workers, and government representatives. The formative assessment will include in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. We also describe the overall quasi-experimental study design, used to assess intervention impact. Impact: This study will contribute to the social and behavioral change communication intervention research by offering a novel strategy for increasing immunization. This study will also illustrate to policymakers the value of structural change for health service delivery.

Introduction: The promotion and support of breastfeeding is a global priority with benefits for maternal and infant health, especially in low-income and middle-income countries where the relevance for child survival is undisputed. Timely initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for six months with continued breastfeeding till 2years and beyond are important aspects of breast feeding for child survival. The objective of the study was to describe the practice and perception of breast feeding amongst mothers at the post natal wards of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.Materials and Methods: This study was a questionnaire based cross sectional view of breastfeeding practices of mothers who received perinatal care at the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Ebonyi, South Eastern Nigeria.Results: 16.1% initiated breastfeeding within one hour, while others initiated later for reasons like poor lactation (19.6%); too tired (15.4%); felt dirty after delivery (5.3%) and caesarean section. Exclusive breastfeeding was not the intention of 30.8% for reasons like, too demanding(15.4%); cannot satisfy baby (38.6%); spouse and relations would not accept (26.5%); Work/School schedule would not permit (13.6%). Mode of delivery and socioeconomic class were significantly associated with time of initiation. Neither maternal age nor parity significantly influenced the overall practice of breastfeeding.Conclusion: Few mothers practice correct breastfeeding in this tertiary health institution suggesting that more work to improve the knowledge and attitudes of mothers is required starting from the antenatal period.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v34i2.8788J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2014;34(2):90-95

INTRODUCTION Knowledge, attitude and behavior of a medical professional play an important role in the quality of care that an HIV/AIDS positive person receives and in shaping their attitude towards the disease. Thus, it is important that medical students, who would be treating such persons in near future, have the appropriate knowledge and attitudes. This study explores both these factors among pre-clinical medical students in Nepal. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross sectional study was carried out among 200 first and second year MBBS students at Universal College of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Nepal. A pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used to evaluate respondents’ knowledge towards of HIV causes and transmission and their attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and people living with it. RESULTS Knowledge among respondents was high overall and showed an improvement from first to second year. Some improvement areas regarding transmission from lactating mother to infant, transmission via sweat, kissing etc and infant’s BCG vaccination management were found. Respondent’s attitudes too were generally positive but with some significant stigmatizing notions such as isolation and entry bans of HIV positive people. CONCLUSION Knowledge of pre-clinical MBBS students is generally high though there are some improvement areas in HIV transmission. The attitude too is positive overall with a small minority holding stigmatizing views. Progression from first to second year has a positive impact on both knowledge and attitudes.

This paper examines some major issues and challenges in developing and implementing mother-tongue education policy in minority speech communities in Nepal. It also suggests some strategies based on field studies for meeting those challenges. In minority speech communities, constituting more than 55% of total population and speaking around 70 languages, despite attempts made by governmental and non-governmental agencies, multilingual education has not yet become accessible it is mainly due to the lack of operational mechanism in education policy. Till today, thousands of children of non-Nepali speaking communities are compelled to be instructed in Nepali and use the textbooks written in Nepali. This has resulted in class repetition, high dropout and very low quality at primary levels. The case studies made in Western Tamang and Rajbansi have explored a number of challenges as well as some way-outs for effective implementation of mother-tongue education policy in such communities. First and foremost, the roles of mother tongue, Nepali and English have not yet been fully justified. In most of the minority speech communities, there is only sentimental attitude towards their mother tongue. Most of the MLE programmes have been commenced without conducting need assessment (Regmi, 2019). There is a lack of appropriate textbooks and reading materials incorporating local cultures and life crucial knowledge embodied in language. Due to the lack of trained and motivated teachers, programmes so far implemented are also facing the problem of quality maintenance. Thus, a promising and inclusive multilingual education policy should be developed and implemented for maintaining the sustainability of MLE programmes in minority speech communities in Nepal.

Background and Objectives: Breastfeeding (BF) is a socially constructed and controlled practice. Although breastfeeding is a common practice in Nepal, proper breastfeeding is on the decline due to several factors. The impact of knowledge and attitude about breastfeeding practice, i.e., duration of breastfeeding, proper techniques, proper time of weaning is poorly understood. So, this study is designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers in breastfeeding. Material and Methods: This is an observational descriptive cross sectional study carried out among 220 mothers of under 2 years old children attending the pediatric out-patient department (OPD) at Janaki Medical College teaching hospital (JMCTH), Janakpur, Nepal. Mothers were interviewed using pre-designed questionnaire constructed after proper literature review. Results: All mothers have idea that they have to breast feed their babies, but they did not have adequate knowledge on the appropriate way of breastfeeding. Only, 12.27% knew that they have to initiate breast feeding within 1 hour of birth, 15% had idea on pre-lacteal feed, 5% had idea on importance of colostrum, 10% knew the meaning of exclusive breast feeding, and 0% of the mothers had idea on importance of night feeding. Only 7.27% have knowledge on method on maintaining aseptic precaution during breastfeeding. Only 20.90% were practicing exclusive breast feeding, 70% mothers were practicing night feeds, 15% mothers practiced feeding one side at a time and 15% mothers were practicing appropriate attachment and positioning during BF. None of the mothers got any advice regarding breast feeding during antenatal care (ANC) visits. Only 15% mothers got proper method of breastfeeding advice after birth. 30% practiced burping after breastfeeding. 30% underwent practice of proper food to increase breast milk secretion. Conclusion: Undesirable cultural practices such as late initiation of breastfeeding after birth, giving pre-lacteal feeds, delay in introduction of weaning foods, not exercising exclusive breastfeeding practice are still prevalent. The maternal knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) in breastfeeding is still inadequate with a big gap between actual and desired practices and there is urgent need of mother educational program in this society.

Introduction: Mothers’ misconception of a healthy diet is one of the major causes of nutritional problems in preschool-aged children in Nepal and these beliefs and attitudes can result in the inappropriate feeding of young children. There is growing research on this topic in Nepal but very little from a public health perspective. This thesis has been designed to cover gaps in this understanding, especially mothers’ decision-making around feeding their children and is based on a general public health/behavioural change model conceptualised by Marks et al., (2001). Aim: The aim of this thesis was to compare food knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour related to feeding preschool-aged children in rural and urban Nepalese mothers. Objectives: The objectives were to: i. assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about nutritious food amongst mothers. ii. identify major barriers that are associated with existing cultures, religions and ethnic divisions; including public opinions for recommending healthy food for preschool-aged children. iii. assess health-seeking behaviour for rural and urban children of low socio-economic status. iv. determine factors that affect the availability of food locally. v. measure the mothers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards health promotion and food security. vi. evaluate the health-seeking behaviours for undernourished children and the reasons why. vii. seek mothers’ suggestions for a better nutritional environment. viii. evaluate the perceptions about healthy diet amongst the stakeholders, such as policy people, health professionals (low level to mid-level), pharmacists and spiritual healers. Methods: This research used a mixed-methods approach in two different locations in Nepal, including a quantitative survey and qualitative focus group discussions. The questionnaire comprised open-ended and structured questions on knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about nutritious food, child-feeding patterns, food recommendations, major barriers, food insecurity, and health-seeking behaviours. A descriptive data analysis approach was used to analyse the quantitative data by using SPSS version 21.0. The qualitative focus groups aimed to collect in-depth information around attitudes and beliefs and data were thematically analysed. Results: A total of 524 mothers completed the questionnaire. All had children aged 36 – 60 months and were no longer breastfeeding at the time, from rural (n=228) and urban (n=296) localities. In addition, 50 key informants participated in seven focus groups. The findings revealed that 66% of children were being fed by mothers and only 5% by fathers. The major barriers to recommending nutritious foods perceived by mothers included: lack of knowledge (19%); high prices (45%); and cultural influences or beliefs (13%). Almost 12% of mothers never fed colostrum to their children and 34% were unable to identify nutritious food when shopping at grocery stores, whilst 19% lacked food at home. Nearly 57% of children had been taken at least once to a spiritual healer for treatment and 16% more than once. The focus group analysis suggested that important factors associated with knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about a healthy diet are: poverty, education level, strong cultural beliefs, family size, household income, time, and a growing preference for fast food. Conclusions: Levels of knowledge on what types of food are nutritious were low in both urban and rural mothers and their attitudes and views appear to be poorly-informed. Mothers from both rural and urban communities had great faith in spiritual healers. This study suggests that a public health approach is needed to address nutrition problems associated with behaviour and revealed major barriers to maternal knowledge, which were associated with poverty, resources, mothers’ education level, and climate change. Diversified and conflicting views were also found to be a major barrier preventing mothers from making better decisions. Thus, special attention should be paid at the practitioner and policy-maker level on appropriate interventions and approaches, based on changing these cultural beliefs and behaviours, to help reduce undernutrition in poor communities.