HEALTH WORKERS’ PERCEIVED FACTORS INFLUENCING POOR MALNUTRITION TREATMENT OUTCOMES AMONG PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN NORTHWESTERN NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Keywords:
Health workers, Malnutrition, Perception, Preschool children, TreatmentAbstract
Malnutrition constitutes one of the leading public health issues among pre-school children in Nigeria especially in the northwestern part of Nigeria. This is due to high level of poverty, food insecurity, lack of maternal education, lack of access to quality healthcare facilities, and the prevalence of recurring infections disease which continue to compromise the wellbeing of children. The aim of the study is to identify the factors perceived affecting the treatment outcomes of malnutrition amongst preschool children in Northwestern, Nigeria. The study made use of cross-sectional survey design that focused on malnutrition in states like Kano, Katsina, and Sokoto State. The research used a multi-stage sampling technique where 370 questionnaires were distributed. However, only 352 questionnaires were completed and returned. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation. The study revealed that the item which tested whether child neglect in the household contributes to the poor outcomes in treating malnutrition among pre-school children was the highest item accepted by the respondents. It generated a mean score of 3.29 and standard deviation of 0.999. The study further revealed that the item which tested that poor after-hour staffing contributes to poor malnutrition treatment outcomes among preschool children is the lowest item that was rejected. It has a mean score of 1.58, with a standard deviation of 0.683. The study concluded that the main enablers to this topic of discussion include neglecting children by the households, wrong diagnosis at the first stages of the treatment, dependence on alternative medication, low bed capacity in the hospitals, inadequate sources of preparing food for treatment, and lack of night duty staff. Inadequate availability of trained medical personnel and shortage of treatment resources were not perceived as organizational inefficiency that affected the treatment result of malnutrition. Therefore, the study recommended that an educational program should be initiated to enhance the awareness of the caregivers about preventing malnutrition, and awareness should be raised about the significance of adherence to treatment of malnutrition among pre-school children.
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