EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES ON RURAL NURSING MOTHERS’ BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS VITAMIN A CONSUMPTION IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Susceptibility to infectious diseases and paediatric blindness is a huge public health burden among children in rural Nigeria. This condition could be linked to Vitamin A (VA) deficiency due to poor nutritional behaviour of Nursing Mothers (NM) in rural areas. Eliciting positive behaviour through the use of appropriate Communication Strategies (CS) could help improve NM behaviour towards VA consumption. However, there is dearth of empirical evidence on suitable CS to elicit positive behaviour towards VA consumption. Therefore, effectiveness of CS on rural NM behaviour towards VA consumption in southwestern Nigeria was investigated. A four-stage sampling procedure was used. Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States were purposively selected due to the preponderance of child malnutrition. Three, two and three LGAs were proportionately randomly selected from Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States respectively. From the selected LGAs, one community health centre was randomly selected. Using sampling proportionate to size, 277 rural NM were randomly selected. Respondents were exposed to intervention using Entertainment, Education and Entertainment-Education Communication Strategies (CS) in Ekiti, Oyo and Osun States, respectively. Using quasi experimental design, baseline data were collected. After 12 weeks, data were collected on respondents’ knowledge, attitude, practice and behaviour towards VA consumption. Also, data were collected on socioeconomic characteristics and sources of information on VA consumption using interview schedule. Indices of knowledge (pre: low 0.0-2.90, high 2.91-15.00; post: low 10.00-18.70, high 18.71-20.00), attitude (pre: unfavourable 69.00–142.91. favourable, 142.92 -173.00; post: unfavourable, 102.00 –151.00, favourable, 151.01-190.0), practice (pre; low 5.00 – 48.57, high 48.58-71.00; post; low 25.00-57.31, high, 57.32- 80.00) and behavioural (pre: low 4.12-8.97, high 8.98-12.88; post: low 7.54-12.35, high 12.36-15.73) were generated. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and ANOVA.at α0.05. Respondents’ age, household size, annual income were 28.16±5.33 years, 6.8±3.5 persons, 935, 013.73± 108, 6291.35, respectively. Respondents were mostly married (91.3%) with 41.3% having secondary education while 74.9% depended on health workers as their major source of information. For entertainment, education and entertainment-education categories, more (92.6%, 77.9% and 92.1%) rural NM had high knowledge of VA consumption in the post intervention compared to 14.8%, 45.1% and 17.8% respectively, who had high knowledge in the pre intervention phase. Attitude towards VA consumption was improved by entertainment, education and entertainment-education CS from 22.2% to 83.3%, 22.2% to 54.1% and 36.6% to 76.2%. Practice of VA consumption among the respondents improved from 29.6% to 75.9%, 69.7% to 73.8 % and 23.8% to 97.0% for entertainment, education and entertainment-education, respectively. More NM in rural areas had positive behaviour in post intervention than pre-intervention from 38.9% to 61.1%, 23.7% to 76.2%, and 27.7% to 72.3% for entertainment, education and entertainment-education CS, respectively. Education ( =0.02) and income (r=0.03) were significantly related to behavioural change. At post intervention, entertainment-education (10.64±1.83) had more significant impact on NM’s behaviour toward VA consumption than education (9.62±1.18) and entertainment CS (9.45±1.3). Entertainment, education and entertainment-education communication strategies effectively improved behavioural change towards Vitamin A consumption among nursing mothers in Southwestern Nigeria.