Risk factors for infant malnourishment and nurses interventions

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors which place the infant in high risk group for malnouri-shment and the nurses intervention to lower the risk. A systematic random sample of 204 mothers of children between 6 -12 months of age were selected from Barha MCH Centre in Jordan. An interview schedule was used to collect the data from mothers. The factors which place infants in the high risk group included lost children less than one year of age, those not breast fed for at least 5-6 months of life; infants with birth weight below 2.5 kgm; multiple births; high birth order of the fifth or more; children with older brother/sister died during the first year of life; children infected with measles, whooping cough or repeated diarrhea; children cared for by siblings; and children born with congenital defects. Weaning was another important area included in this study. The nurses interventions investigated were monthly weighing infant, dietary screening, meal planning and discussion of the child growth chart and counselling and educating mothers