title: The effectiveness of nutrition education: Applying the Health Belief Model in child-feeding practices to use pulses for complementary feeding in Southern Ethiopia.
abstract: Complementary foods (CFs) in Ethiopia are cereal based and adding locally grown pulses (legumes) to CF would provide needed nutrients. To assess the effects of nutrition education (NEd) using Health Belief Model (HBM) in promoting pulses for CF, a 6-month quasi-experimental study was conducted in 160 mother-child pairs. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questions were given to mothers at baseline, midline, and endline, along with anthropometric measurements of children. NEd involving discussions and recipe demonstrations was given twice monthly for 6 months to the intervention group (n = 80) while control mothers received usual education. At baseline, mothers' KAP scores were low at both sites; at 3 and 6 months of NEd, mean KAP scores of mothers increased (p < 0.05) compared to the control site. Significant improvements in children's mean weight, weight for height, and weight for age occurred in the intervention site only. Nutritional status of children improved after providing mothers with pulse-based NEd.
authors.affiliation: a School of Nutrition, Food Science, and Technology, College of Agriculture , Hawassa University , Hawassa , Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Demmelash
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mulualem
authors.affiliation: b College of Pharmacy and Nutrition , University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.
authors.forename: Carol J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: a School of Nutrition, Food Science, and Technology, College of Agriculture , Hawassa University , Hawassa , Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Getenesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berhanu
authors.affiliation: b College of Pharmacy and Nutrition , University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Whiting
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D003150:Community Health Workers; D003296:Cooking; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D065246:Culturally Competent Care; D000072001:Diet, Healthy / Q000208:ethnology; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education*; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health / Q000208:ethnology; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: Complementary feeding; legumes; nutrition education; pulses; undernutrition; young children