Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T08:20:17.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessing the impact of nutrition education on growth indices of Iranian nomadic children: an application of a modified beliefs, attitudes, subjective-norms and enabling-factors model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Mousa Salehi ,
S. M. Kimiagar ,
M. Shahbazi ,
Y. Mehrabi  and
A. A. Kolahi
Mousa Salehi*
Affiliation:
College of Nutrition Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, West Arghavani Street, Tehran, Iran
S. M. Kimiagar
Affiliation:
College of Nutrition Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, West Arghavani Street, Tehran, Iran
M. Shahbazi
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, JSU, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Y. Mehrabi
Affiliation:
College of Nutrition Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, West Arghavani Street, Tehran, Iran
A. A. Kolahi
Affiliation:
College of Nutrition Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, West Arghavani Street, Tehran, Iran
*
*Corresponding author: Mr Mousa Salehi, fax +98 711 7260225, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In order to teach suitable feeding and hygiene practices to a group of randomly selected Qashqa'i tribe families with 406 children aged 0–59 months, a culturally appropriate community-based education intervention approach was used. To assess the impact of the intervention on the study group, another group of families with 405 children were randomly selected to serve as the controls. At the beginning of the intervention programme both groups of children had access to a similar diet, consisting of cereals, beans, oil, sugar, milk and yoghurt. Baseline data, age, gender, weight, height and mean arm circumference (MAC), were obtained before the intervention. Using Hubley's behavioural change model, the components of which deal with beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms and enabling factors, the research team studied the behaviour of the family members and tried to change their nutritional behaviour. This was achieved by designing a suitable education programme to be carried out for 12 months. During the programme, families were instructed to follow different methods of food preparation and cooking practices. The final data were collected 3 months after the end of the intervention programme. The results indicated that the children in the study group gained: 1·16 (SD 1·2) kg body weight, 0·033 (SD 0·05) m in height, 0·0067 (SD 0·015) m in MAC, 0·8 (SD 1) in weight-for-age Z-score, 0·97 (SD 1·7) in height-for-age Z-score and 0·28 (SD 1·8) in weight-for-height Z-score by the end of the study. The corresponding values for the control group were 0·42 (SD 1·0), 0·0167 (SD 0·047), 0·0017 (SD 0·012), 0·35 (SD 1·1), 0·56 (SD 1·5) and 0·014 (SD 1·6) respectively and the differences were statistically significant (P<0·05). These findings suggest that educational interventions involving parents and/or other family members who might play a role in the care behaviour and care resources are important in feeding the children energy- and protein-enriched, hygienic, simple and cheap foods. Such practices could improve child growth even under conditions of poverty.

Keywords

Nutrition educationMalnutritionIranian childrenQashqa'i tribal peopleBASNEF model
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 91 , Issue 5 , May 2004 , pp. 779 - 787
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2004

References

Almedom, AM (1991 a) Infant feeding in urban low-income households in Ethiopia, 1, the weaning process. Ecol Food Nutr 25, 97–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bahman-Baigi, M (1990) Habits and Customs in Fars Tribes. Tehran: AZAR Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Bailey, K, de Onis, M & Blossner, M (1998) Protein–Energy Malnutrition, Vol. 8. The Global Burden of Disease and Injury Series. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Berga, A (1987) Malnutrition: What Can Be Done? A Lesson From the World Bank. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Cominsky, S, Mahloyi, M & Ewbank, D (1993) Child feeding practices in a rural area of Zimbabwe. Soc Sci Med 36, 937–947.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edrisinghe, N & Hettiaratchi, E (1986) Child Nutrition and its Determinants, Including Government Transfers and Intra-familial Food Allocations. Washington, DC: Research Institute.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (1985) Energy and Protein Requirements. Joint Expert Consulation WHO Teach REPSE 724, pp. 71–130, pp. 140–150. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Gillespie, AH (1987) Communication theories as a basis for nutrition education. J Am Diet Assoc 87, S44–S52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harrison, G, Zaghloul, SS, Galal, OM & Gabr, A (1993) Breast-feeding and weaning in a poor urban neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt: Maternal beliefs and perceptions. Soc Sci Med 36, 1063–1069.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harrison, GG & Jerome, NW (1992) Diet during lactation associated with infant behavior and caregiver interaction in a semirural Egyptian village. J Nutr 123, 164–175.Google Scholar
Hubley, J (1993) Communicating Health: An Action Guide to Health Education and Health Promotion. London: Macmillan Press.Google Scholar
Iranian Health Ministry (1996) Education Packages for Intervention Programs for Reducing Children's Malnutrition. Tehran: Nour Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Iranian Health Ministry (2001) Survey of the pattern of Food and Nutrition Security Program. First Report. Tehran: Nour Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Iranian Health Ministry (2002) Survey of the pattern of Food and Nutrition Security Program. Second Report. Tehran: Nour Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Launer, LJ & Habicht, J-P (1989) Concepts about infant health, growth, and weaning: A comparison between nutritional scientists and Madurese mothers. Soc Sci Med 29, 13–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKee, N (2002) Advocacy and Public Awareness Lesson for the Communicator. www.southside.org.sgGoogle Scholar
Movahedi, A (2000) Iranian Food Composition Tables. Tehran: National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute Press.Google Scholar
Politt, E, Gorman, KS, Engle, PL, Martorell, R & Rivera, J (1993) Early supplementary feeding and cognition. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 58, 1–99.Google Scholar
Rabiee, F & Geissler, C (1992) The impact of maternal work load on child nutrition in rural Iran. Food Nutr Bull 14, 43–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reinhard, I & Kramer, D (1999) Baseline Survey on Health and Nutrition Working Paper. (24 November 1999) http://www.ifsp-srilanka.org/html/wp_24_baseline_survey_health_a.htmlGoogle Scholar
Reissland, N & Burghart, R (1988) The quality of a mother's milk and the health of the child: Beliefs and practices of the women of Mithila. Soc Sci Med 27, 461–469.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sahn, DE, Lockwood, R & Scrimshaw, NS (1981) Methods for Evaluation of the Impact of Food and Nutrition Programs. Report of a Workshop on the Evaluation of Food Nutrition Programs. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Salehi, M & Kalantari-Rahmani, N (1999) A Study of Food and Nutrients in Qashqa'i Tribes. Tehran: Iranian Food and Nutrients Institute.Google Scholar
Salehi, M & Neghab, M (2001) Evaluation of the impact of weaning food messages on infant feeding practices and child growth in Iranian tribes. In 7th Iranian Nutrition Congress, September 2–5. Abstr. Ahvag, Iran: Chamran University Press.Google Scholar
Shahbazi, M (1998) Formal education, schoolteachers and ethnic identity among the Qashqa'i of Iran, PhD Thesis: Washington University.Google Scholar
US Agency for International Development (1988) Growth Monitoring and Nutrition Education. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.Google Scholar
Zeitlin, M (1981) Upper Volta Case Study of Home Based Community Level Weaning: Food Development Study IV for Mutated Foods. Cambridge, MA: US Agency for International Development.Google Scholar
Zeitlin, M, Griffith, SM & Manoff, R (1984) Household Evaluation, Nutrition Communication and Behavior Change Component. Indonesian Nutrition Development program, vol. 4, New York: Monoff International Inc.Google Scholar