Effect of Health Teaching on Knowledge Regarding Assessment and Management of Dehydration in Children among Mothers

Background: In Children dehydration is most often caused by a viral infection that causes fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and a decreased ability to drink or eat. Common viral infections causing vomiting and diarrhea include rotavirus, Norwalk virus, and adenovirus. Sometimes sores in a child's mouth (caused by a virus) make it painful to eat or drink, which helps to cause or worsen dehydration. Fever that often accompanies disease accelerates the amount of water that is lost through the skin. The smaller children are at a greater the risk of dehydration. [1] Objective: • To determine the mothers knowledge regarding assessment and management of dehydration in children. • To identify the effect of health teaching on mothers knowledge regarding assessment and management of dehydration in children. • To find an association of mothers knowledge with selected demographic variables. Material and Method: The study is an evaluative study with pre experimental one group pre and post test research design. 60 samples were selected for the study by Non-probability purposive sampling technique. The pre-test was done first and then health teaching was given to the mothers. Then post-test was provided to group after a gap of 7 days for the knowledge assessment. Data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The findings of the study revealed that, pre-test score shows 43.33% of the mothers had poor knowledge, 28.33% had very poor knowledge and 28.34% had average knowledge regarding assessment and management of dehydration in children. After health teaching is provided, post-test scores showed 90% mothers of under-five children had good knowledge and 40% had average knowledge regarding assessment and management of dehydration. This indicates that, there is a remarkable improvement in the knowledge among mothers regarding assessment and management of dehydration in children. Conclusion: As the current emphasis of health care nowadays is on health and wellness of children, mothers of under-five children to know about the assessment and early home management during period of dehydration. Hence, mothers require continuous and adequate knowledge about management of dehydration. One method that can help in improving their knowledge by conducting health teaching. As the study itself was shown, health teaching is an effective tool that can be adopted as one of the method in improvising the knowledge of mothers towards providing adequate home care to child during dehydration. Although ongoing education and the implementation of evidence- based practice guidelines show promise in increasing ORS use for children with dehydration.