title: A controlled trial of weighing with the Direct Recording Scales by the mothers in a village based growth monitoring programme in Ghana.
abstract: The Direct Recording Scales from Teaching aids at low cost (TALC) have been designed to overcome some of the deficiencies in present growth monitoring programmes. This is the full account of the first controlled trial of their use by 38 mothers for 6 months in a rural West African village. The mothers found weighing with the Direct Recording Scales easier to perform and more accurate than the control group using the dial scales. Their understanding of growth monitoring significantly improved as assessed by a questionnaire. Additionally, the mothers were proud to actively participate in the village--based weighing, which allowed more time for full discussions of their child's growth while leaving time free for the visiting health worker to spend on other aspects of Primary Health Care.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Growth Promotion, Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morley
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education*; D012423:Rural Health; D014894:Weights and Measures / Q000592:standards*