Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Breastfeeding Among Mothers of Children Under 6 Months of Age in Suva, Fiji

Breastfeeding is a cost-effective public health approach that decreases infant and child morbidity and mortality. Fiji's exclusive breastfeeding rate was 40 percent compared to the global target of 50 percent. The research aims to evaluate mothers’ breastfeeding infants' level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice less than 6 months of age in Suva. A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out in 3 randomly selected medical areas in Suva, Fiji. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire was used to gather data from 415 mothers. The overall mean scores for breastfeeding knowledge of mothers were 12.9, the attitude was 33.7, and practice 7.20. Results showed that mothers were generally found to have good levels of knowledge and practice but a fair attitude. Knowledge was associated with the number of children that mothers had and ethnicity. Attitude had a positive correlation with household income. The practice was positively correlated with the mother's status of employment, the number of children, ethnicity, marital status, and household income. To improve breastfeeding knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers, awareness and education should be strengthened in all health facilities. Improvement in health education materials and advocacy is required.

The Effect of Health Education to The Active Presence of Mother to Take Their Toddlers to Posyandu

The decrease of the active presence of toddlers at the posyandu has become a problem for health workers in monitoring the health and development of infants and toddlers in their working areas. This is due to several reasons, one of which is from the mothers who are lazy and do not know what is the benefits they will get when they are taken to the posyandu. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of health education to the active presence of mothers to take their toddlers to posyandu. Methods: This study used a "Pre-Experimental" design. The sample was 30 respondents taken by using purposive sampling technique. The independent variable was health education and the dependent variable was active presence of mother to take their toddler to posyandu. The instrument used health education materials and observations on the respondent's attendance book in the last 8 months. Result: the sattistical Wilcoxon rankTest showed p value = 0.05. This meant that health education affected the active presence of mothers in bringing their toddlers to join the posyandu at Polindes Semen, Gandusari District. Based on the result, it is expected to all mothers to be active in joining Posyandu so that they can get education on how to stimulate and check their children's growth and development. For health workers, the results of this study can be used as an input so that they can improve the provision of counseling during posyandu activities and the target of achieving the presence of infants and toddlers in the areas can be achieved.

STRATEGI KOMUNIKASI PERUBAHAN PERILAKU DALAM PENDIDIKAN KESEHATAN DI TK‘AISYIYAH BUSTANUL ATHFAL KOTA BENGKULU

Health education is the main element in early childhood education. Several government policies have also integrate health education into Early Childhood curriculum Education, however, its implementation has not been realized in all early childhood institutions. TK ‘Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal (TK ABA), is the oldest PAUD institution in Indonesia. Along the way, he continues to improve to improve the quality of learning both from the curriculum and the quality of educators (teachers). This article is an evaluation of education and training activities carried out by DIKDASMEN PP Aisyiyah in collaboration with UHAMKA in Bengkulu city which is a series of training in eight provinces throughout Indonesia. This evaluation is to assess health education materials through a behavior change communication approach. The method used is conducting pretest and posttest as well as in-depth interviews with 3 training participants. The results of the posttest showed an increase in knowledge of early childhood teachers after the training was carried out. All informants said the importance of health education in the Early Childhood Education curriculum.

Bridging the communication gap: What do primary healthcare practitioners in New Zealand know about health literacy? What are their attitudes towards it, and how do they implement any internationally developed health literacy tools?

<p>Health Literacy has been identified internationally as an important component of health equity. As a health consumer, being health literate includes having the ability to make an informed choice about health. As a healthcare provider or health educator, being health literate is having the ability to enable the consumer to become fully informed, even if there are barriers that complicate or hamper this ability. Many health literacy tools have been developed to support clinicians, including those in primary care, in communicating effectively with their patients. When properly utilised, these tools have the potential to improve the health outcomes of their patients and also to reduce health system costs. The literature produced about health literacy has seen exponential growth, especially over the last eight years, due to increased recognition of its contribution to better healthcare outcomes. This research examined whether General Practitioners (GPs) in New Zealand were aware of health literacy concepts and the specific tools that have been developed, and whether they were utilising them. Although some health literacy tools and strategies are being implemented by GPs, they are not necessarily realising this, as their concept of health literacy seems to be focused on the general literacy level of their patients. Health literacy tools identified tended to be in the form of print and online health education materials.</p>

Bridging the communication gap: What do primary healthcare practitioners in New Zealand know about health literacy? What are their attitudes towards it, and how do they implement any internationally developed health literacy tools?

<p>Health Literacy has been identified internationally as an important component of health equity. As a health consumer, being health literate includes having the ability to make an informed choice about health. As a healthcare provider or health educator, being health literate is having the ability to enable the consumer to become fully informed, even if there are barriers that complicate or hamper this ability. Many health literacy tools have been developed to support clinicians, including those in primary care, in communicating effectively with their patients. When properly utilised, these tools have the potential to improve the health outcomes of their patients and also to reduce health system costs. The literature produced about health literacy has seen exponential growth, especially over the last eight years, due to increased recognition of its contribution to better healthcare outcomes. This research examined whether General Practitioners (GPs) in New Zealand were aware of health literacy concepts and the specific tools that have been developed, and whether they were utilising them. Although some health literacy tools and strategies are being implemented by GPs, they are not necessarily realising this, as their concept of health literacy seems to be focused on the general literacy level of their patients. Health literacy tools identified tended to be in the form of print and online health education materials.</p>

The CDC Clear Communication Index Health Education Materials Assessment Tool

The health education material assessment tool is an important instrument that media contributors use to reexamine communication elements that are crucial to readers’ understanding of the message. Consequently, readers may be able to identify the key message, then recognize the purpose and/or the concept, and finally put the information into use, which is the indication of a successful communication. Health literacy experts recommend many health education material assessment tools such as The Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM)2, The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT)3 and the CDC Clear Communication Index4. In this article, the CDC Clear Communication Index tool developed from the synthesis of communication elements by the US National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was demonstrated. The tool is trusted and widely used. Furthermore, research has shown that it promotes the clarity and readers' understanding of a key message. However, author team has not yet found implementation of CDC Clear Communication Index in Thai articles, so introducing the material assessment tool has rather been encouraged. The CDC Clear Communication Index in this article has been translated and adapted to fit into Thai context in order to be well practiced on the targeted demographics.

Engaged scholarship at the Brown University School of Public Health: designing education for better prisoner and community health

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the course, “Designing Education for Better Prisoner and Community Health,” which provided students with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to build real-world health education materials for persons who are criminal justice involved. Design/methodology/approach A multiphase engaged scholarship course was designed and implemented through the Brown University School of Public Health in Rhode Island, USA. Findings Students collaborated closely with instructors, subject matter experts and affected community members to develop highly tailored health education projects across six topic areas. The structure and outcomes of the paper are described with the hope that other instructors and institutions might replicate components of the model. Originality/value Engaged scholarship in public health can provide students with rich, collaborative learning experiences, and when executed effectively, these endeavors can provide underserved communities with robust and informed health education interventions and programs.

Views of Indian Migrants on Adaptation of Child Oral Health Leaflets: A Qualitative Study

The aim of this study was to gain insight on the views of Hindi-speaking mothers on readily available English language oral health education materials and to evaluate the acceptability of Hindi language adapted versions of these materials. This qualitative study is nested within an ongoing multi-centre birth cohort study in Greater Western Sydney, Australia. Following purposive selection of Hindi-speaking mothers (n = 19), a semi-structured interview was conducted. Two English leaflets were mailed to participants prior to the interview. The simplified English and translated Hindi versions of the leaflets were provided at the interview, and the participants were asked to compare and evaluate all three versions. Interviews were audio recorded, and thematic analysis was used to analyse data from interview transcripts. A majority of the participants reported a certain degree of difficulty in reading and comprehending oral health messages in Hindi. Although Hindi translations were accurate, mothers preferred the simplified English as opposed to the Hindi version. Visual illustrations and a simple layout facilitated the understanding of oral health messages. Developers of oral health education leaflets should thoroughly research their prospective user groups, particularly migrant populations, and identify the need for simplified or translated oral health education leaflets.