Maternal perception of malnutrition among infants using verbal and pictorial methods in Kenya. Issue 5 (27th May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mwangome, Martha K; Fegan, Gregory; Prentice, Andrew M; Berkley, James A
• Is Part Of: Public health nutrition. Volume 18:Issue 5(2015)
• Page Start: 869
• Page End: 876
• Publication Date: 2014-05-27
• Subjects: Mothers, -- Undernutrition, -- Mid-upper arm circumference, -- Weight-for-age, -- Infants; Nutrition -- Periodicals; Nutrition policy -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; 613.2
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980014001074
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1368-9800

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: To compare mothers' perceptions of their own infants' nutritional status with anthropometric indicators of undernutrition. Design: A qualitative study and cross-sectional quantitative survey. The qualitative study involved developing tools to assess mother's perception. Two methods of verbal description and a pictorial scale were developed. The quantitative survey involved measuring maternal perception and comparing it with the anthropometric measures of weight-for-age Z -score (WAZ) and mid-upper arm circumference-for-age Z -score (MUACZ). Setting: A rural community setting in Kenya. Subjects: Seventy-four infants aged between 4 and 6 months, and their mothers, living in rural Kenya were enrolled. Results: Using verbal description, the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 3·57 (95 % CI 1·44, 9·98) and 0·69 (95 % CI 0·50, 0·96) respectively for MUACZ<−2; and 4·60 (95 % CI 1·60, 13·3) and 0·67 (95 % CI 0·49, 0·92) respectively for WAZ<−2. Using the pictorial scale, the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 8·30 (95 % CI 1·91, 36·3) and 0·69 (95 % CI 0·52, 0·93) respectively for MUACZ<−2; and 4·31 (95 % CI 1·22, 15·0) and 0·78 (95 % CI 0·61, 1·00) respectively for WAZ<−2. Conclusions: In a rural community, mothers better identify undernutrition in their infants using a pictorial scale than verbal description. However, neither can replace formal anthropometric assessment. Objective anthropometric tools should be validated for identification of severe acute malnutrition among infants aged less than 6 months.