The relationship between childhood malnutrition and maternal knowledge and beliefs regarding nutrition
Walia, B.N.; Gambhir, S.K.
Indian Pediatrics 12(7): 563-568
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-6061 PMID: 810420 Document Number: 88295
A nutritional survey was conducted among the families of 100 undernourished children selected from an underprivileged community in Chandigarh and families of 100 adequately nourished children selected on similar criteria and from the same socioeconomic background. Information was collected by means of a questionnaire on the nutritional beliefs and feeding habits of the mother and the diet given to the children. A dietary survey, by the 24-h recall method, was included. Differences in the nutritional intakes of the adequately and poorly nourished groups were compared with the intelligence ratings regarding nutrition, for the mothers in the two groups. There was no correlation between performance and intelligence (knowledge and belief), suggesting that improved feeding habits are derived from traditional sources rather than from a knowledge of nutrition.