The role of mothers’ participation in changing their practice concerning the growth and nutrition of their children in Esfahan during 2003-2004

Background: An assessment of the growth of Iranian children has shown that a large percentage of Iran’s children are afflicted with growth failure. Community participation is one of the principles emphasized by the World Health Organization as necessary for development of health services. The goal of this study is to evaluate the role of the presented model of mothers’ participation on mothers’ practice concerning the development and nutrition of their children. Materials and methods: A community-based field trial was conducted with 74 mothers with children less than three years of age. A model was designed to increase mothers’ participation. On the basis of this model, a group of mothers’ volunteered and were instructed in the subjects of growth monitoring and child nutrition. Then the mothers who received training instructed other beneficiaries on the basis of the model. The plan was evaluated by the CIPP evaluation model. Changes in the mothers’ knowledge and practice scores were assessed by a questionnaire before and after intervention. Results: The mean score of the mothers’ knowledge, before and after intervention, was 23 and 43 respectively, and the mean score of their practice, before and after intervention, was 47.3 and 60.2 respectively. In the two cases, the difference was meaningful at P<0.001. This plan considerably increased the individual and social capabilities sincluding self confidence, of the participants. Different effects of the project—including impact, effectiveness, sustainability and transportability—were assessed through the CIPP evaluation model, and special indices, criteria and standards were determined for each part. Conclusions: The considerable improvement in the knowledge and practice of mothers concerning the growth and nutrition of their children and the considerable increase in individual and social capabilities of the beneficiaries of the plan show the efficacy of this model. In addition, as the design of the present model is based on the cultural and social background of Iran according to its health system, the model can be used in other regions to develop other health services.