Perceptions regarding childhood immunization among mothers in Kunnukara Panchayat, North Paravur, Ernakulam, Kerala

Background: Vaccines have been claimed to be one of the most important contributions for the relief of human misery and the spectacular increase in life expectancy. Worldwide, an estimated 1.4 million children under the age of five died in 2010 due to vaccine preventable diseases. Objective of the study was to determine the immunization perception and practice regarding immunization among mothers of children from 1-5 years in Paravur taluk, Ernakulam district.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among the mothers of children from 1-5 years of age in Kunnukara panchayat. The panchayat has 15 wards. 3 wards were chosen by simple random sampling. All the houses having mothers of children from one to five years were surveyed. The data collected was entered in MS excel and analysed using Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 20 software.Results: Mean age of mothers is 29. The most common source of information regarding vaccination was obtained through health workers (80.3%). 72% mothers knew that OPV prevents polio and 53.6% mothers knew about the frequency of giving polio vaccination to their children. Ninety two percent mothers agreed that vaccines prevent the diseases. 100% mothers have given immunization to their children.Conclusions: Perception regarding vaccination was 95.2% and practice of immunization was 92.3%. There was a statistically significant association between (female gender of child v/s practice of immunization) and (perceptions regarding vaccination v/s practice of immunization).

Fertility Decrease and Son Preference Among the Educated Middle-Class in Kathmandu

The aim of this research article is to explore the persistence of single child especially the son preference in a Hindu dominated patrilineal, patrilocal society found in Kathmandu is facing the midst of fertility decline. Using semi-structured interview schedule with the help of observation and ethnographic field work mostly in middle class families of Kathmandu, I have tried to analyze the role of socio-cultural factors in selecting the number of baby conceiving and give birth, gender of child etc. regarding reproductive health and concern were questioned to married women and which remained intact. Fertility decrease or increase is not due to the only the demographic factors, it is due to the multiple factors; social factors, cultural, ecological, economic, religious and psychological, political etc. that’s why, due to various reasons fertility is decreasing day by day in one hand and in other hand son preference is increasing day by day. People usually working couple do not want more than single child and they want to give birth a single son. It impacts on population composition, sex ration, increase abortion, familial quarrel etc. Son preference is because of multiple reasons; economic, religious, cultural, social, political familial, lineage system, customs, norms values, attitudes etc.

Factors Influencing Dietary Diversity in Infants in India: Study Undertaken in Two Districts

Adequate feeding practices in early life have a lasting impact on child nutrition and development. This paper examines the dietary diversity and its associated factors among children aged 6-12 months, in the age that they transition from breastfeeding to complementary feeding, in two districts in India: Udupi (Karnataka) and Sambalpur (Odisha). In 2019, a citizen-led survey, that can be scaled up further very rapidly and cost-effectively, was conducted covering 976 mothers of children below 1 year of age by 90 trained local volunteers. The survey tool uses the Knowledge, Access and Practices Framework and was developed, tested and refined over 4 years through diverse pilots in various locations in India. In the sample, only 12% children aged 6-12 months met the WHO’s minimum dietary diversity requirement. A linear probability regression model was used to assess significant factors for an adequate diversified diet intake in infants. Maternal education, child’s age and meal frequency were found to be significantly associated with dietary diversity. Other factors such as household wealth, gender of child, birth order and homegrown gardens did not present a strong association. Integrated interventions targeted at mothers and children that include nutrition education components into mothers’ education are more likely to be effective in improving infant dietary diversity.

Identifying prognosticators covariates of child nutritional status in ethiopia: A bayesian generalized additive modelling approach

Malnutrition among children under age five is the major public health delinquent issue in the developing world, particularly in Ethiopia. This study aimed to figure out determinants of Ethiopian children malnutrition by applying Bayesian approach with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques on the 2011 EDHS data. The preliminary analysis indicated that the overall prevalence of underweight among children in Ethiopia is found 36.4%. Bayesian generalized additive regression model applied to flexibly estimate effects of socio-economic, demographic, health and environmental covariates. The estimation result showed that covariates succeeding birth interval, gender of child, child by choice not by chance, vaccination and cough are significantly affect the children nutritional status in Ethiopia. The effect of child age, mother’s age at child birth, succeeding birth intervals, number of household member and birth order were also explored non-parametrically as determinants of children nutritional status. Based up on this biometric analysis, concerned governmental and non-governmental bodies should give emphasis on the significant covariates to improve the children nutritional status of the country.

Analyzing Malnutrition Among Children of Urban Areas in Bangladesh: Penalized Logistic Regression Model

This paper focused on the analysis of malnutrition of the children of Bangladesh urban areas in the presence of multicollinearity among the covariates. The ridge regression has been adopted under binary logistic model for analyzing malnutrition data extracted from Bangladesh Urban Health Survey 2013 (UHS 2013) dataset. The study reveals that city corporation slum area, mother’s age at birth, gender of child, birth order number, age of child, wealth index, mother’s education, access to media, toilet facility at household, taking antenatal care service, and place of delivery of index child have significant impact on the nutritional status of urban children of Bangladesh. Some recommendations have been suggested for policy makers to improve the child health of urban areas in Bangladesh. Dhaka Univ. J. Sci. 68(1): 13-18, 2020 (January)

Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice in the first six months of life and its determinants in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the first 6 months of life is the best and most complete option for an infant, in that supplies the vitamins and minerals the baby needs. Several studies in Iran have been conducted concerning the prevalence of EBF. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of EBF in the first 6 months of life and associated factors in Iran synthesizing published studies. Methods We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, ISI/Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Directory of Open Access Journals Directory (DOAJ) and Google Scholar as well as Iranian databases (Barakathns, MagIran and the Scientific Information Database or SID) up to November 2018. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of studies. Analyses were performed by pooling together studies using DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model with 95% confidence interval. To test for heterogeneity, I2 test was used. The Egger’s regression test and funnel plot were used to evaluate the publication bias. The strength of EBF determinants was assessed computing the Odds-ratios (OR) using the Mantel–Haenszel method. Results In the initial search 725 records were found. Finally, 32 studies were selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. The sample size of studies varied between 50 and 63,071 subjects. The overall prevalence of EBF in Iran was 53% (CI 95%; 44–62). The OR for breastfeeding education received before pregnancy was 1.13 (0.94–1.36), for mother’s job 1.01 (0.81–1.27), for education level 1.12 (0.89–1.42), for type of delivery 1.16 (0.98–1.37), and for gender of child 1.03 (0.83–1.28). Conclusion In Iran health policy- and decision-makers should try to take interventions that encourage mothers to use their milk to breastfeed the infants.

Gender preference and its impact on families: a cross sectional study

Background: Despite tremendous economic progress made through liberalization and globalization, gender preference for children remains a major issue in any society throughout the globe. The aim of the study was to determine the gender preference for children and its impact on family among study population.Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out between October-2013 to December-2013 in the urban (Ratanpar) and rural (Khodu village) field practice area of C U Shah Medical College Surendranagar, Gujarat. Total 377 study participants were selected by using systematic random sampling. Data was collected using pre designed and pre tested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS.Results: Out of total study population, about 78.8% were completed their family and 21.2% had desire for child in near future. Those who had completed their family, nearly two third of them were blessed with both male and female child (62%). Among those who had desire for child (n=80), about two fifth (41.2%) wished to have male child. At parity one, 52% had desire for only male child as next child and also strong preference for male child was observed at parity two and above among those having only female children.Conclusions: Study revealed that most of the couples wish to have at least one son in the family hence perception of parents towards desired gender of child to be born must be gravitated in favor of daughters.

Penyebab Unmet Need KB Dari Sudut Pandang Budaya Minangkabau di Nagari Lambah Kecamatan Ampek Angkek Kabupaten Agam

Unmet need for family planning (FP) is women that cannot meet their need of contraceptives. Factors to cause unmet need of contreaceptives seen from Minangkabau culture in Nagari Lambah of Ampek Angkek Sub-district of Agam District in 2014 was not yet known. This was a qualitative research. The informants were all couples of reproductive age (PUS) in Nagari Lambah with quote sampling. Data was collected with in-depth interviews to PUS and 4 public figures, namely Niniak Mamak, Alim Ulama, Cadiak Pandai, and Bundo Kanduang. The results showed that the causes of unmet need for FP were prohibition from husband, desire for certain gender of child, and negative myths and rumors about contraception. This culture was related to matriarch and Harato Pusako in Minangkabau. In addition to culture, religion also influenced respondents’ unmet need of FP.

Child language with mother and with stranger at home and in the laboratory: a methodological study

This methodological study in 33 two-year-olds shows that child speech (total utterances, word roots, MLU) occurs at about the same level in different settings (the familiar home vs. the unfamiliar laboratory), but that children speak more and in more differentiated ways with different people (mother vs. stranger). Child speech also shows significant short- term stability. Girls use more different word roots and speak in longer utterances than do boys. In spontaneous child speech, cross-context generalizations appear warranted, but they also depend on conversational partner and gender of child.