DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT

12 Users found this project useful

Influence of Vitamin A Supplementation Education on Vitamin A Supplementation Uptake among Mothers of Under-Five Children in Nigeria

Abstract

Vitamin A supplementation is an important child survival and nutrition intervention because adequate vitamin A status supports normal growth, immune function, and resistance to infections among young children. Mothers and other primary caregivers play an important role in ensuring that eligible children receive recommended vitamin A supplements through routine health services and community-based supplementation programmes. Vitamin A supplementation education provides mothers with information about the importance and benefits of vitamin A supplementation, eligibility and recommended supplementation schedules, sources of vitamin A, the relationship between vitamin A and child health, where supplements can be obtained, and the importance of presenting children for supplementation when due. Vitamin A supplementation uptake refers to mothers' utilization of recommended vitamin A supplementation services for their eligible under-five children, including attendance at supplementation sessions, receipt of age-appropriate vitamin A supplements, and compliance with recommended supplementation schedules. In Nigeria, inadequate knowledge, misconceptions about vitamin A supplementation, limited awareness of supplementation schedules, distance to healthcare facilities, transportation difficulties, missed community outreach sessions, and inconsistent access to supplementation services may affect vitamin A supplementation uptake among mothers of under-five children. Effective vitamin A supplementation education may improve mothers' knowledge, awareness, confidence, and willingness to utilize supplementation services for their children. Against this background, this study investigates the influence of vitamin A supplementation education on vitamin A supplementation uptake among mothers of under-five children in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The Health Belief Model explains preventive health behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding mothers' decisions to obtain vitamin A supplements for their children. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, behavioural capabilities, and environmental conditions in shaping mothers' child-health behaviours. The Theory of Planned Behaviour explains how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions influence mothers' decisions to participate in recommended child health interventions. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how vitamin A supplementation education may influence supplementation uptake among mothers of under-five children in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from mothers of under-five children attending selected public and private healthcare facilities and community-based child health services in Nigeria using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, vitamin A supplementation knowledge assessment, and vitamin A supplementation uptake assessment tool. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, healthcare facilities or communities, and eligible mothers. Where feasible, selected mothers or groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Mothers in the intervention group will receive structured vitamin A supplementation education covering the importance and benefits of vitamin A, eligible age groups, recommended supplementation schedules, sources of vitamin A, possible consequences of deficiency, locations where supplementation services are provided, the importance of keeping child health records, and the need to return for subsequent supplementation when due. Vitamin A supplementation uptake will be assessed using indicators such as receipt of recommended vitamin A supplements, attendance at supplementation sessions, compliance with recommended supplementation schedules, and presentation of children for subsequent supplementation when eligible. Where feasible, child health records, supplementation cards, or facility records will be reviewed to complement self-reported information and improve measurement accuracy. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize mothers' sociodemographic characteristics, child characteristics, vitamin A supplementation knowledge, exposure to education, and supplementation uptake. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and logistic or multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the influence of vitamin A supplementation education on supplementation uptake. Where appropriate, pre-intervention and post-intervention uptake measures will be compared. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instruments, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that vitamin A supplementation education has a significant positive influence on vitamin A supplementation uptake among mothers of under-five children in Nigeria. Mothers exposed to structured vitamin A supplementation education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of the benefits and importance of vitamin A supplementation and greater utilization of recommended supplementation services. Education may improve awareness of supplementation schedules, recognition of eligible children, attendance at supplementation sessions, maintenance of child health records, and timely presentation of children for subsequent supplementation. It may also reduce misconceptions surrounding vitamin A supplementation and increase mothers' understanding of the role of vitamin A in supporting child growth and immune function. However, education alone may not guarantee sustained supplementation uptake because mothers may continue to face barriers such as distance to healthcare facilities, transportation costs, missed outreach sessions, stock-outs, inadequate community mobilization, competing household responsibilities, and inconsistent availability of supplementation services. Consequently, vitamin A supplementation education is expected to be most effective when supported by accessible supplementation services, reliable supplies of vitamin A supplements, effective community mobilization, trained healthcare workers, reminder systems, outreach services, and continuous maternal and child health education. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on vitamin A supplementation, child nutrition, maternal and child health, micronutrient interventions, health education, child survival, preventive healthcare, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the influence of vitamin A supplementation education on supplementation uptake among mothers of under-five children. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, primary healthcare facilities, hospitals, nutrition programmes, child health programmes, community health workers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving vitamin A supplementation coverage. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening maternal education, integrating vitamin A supplementation counselling into routine child welfare services, improving community mobilization, expanding outreach supplementation programmes, strengthening reminder and follow-up systems, ensuring consistent availability of vitamin A supplements, and promoting timely supplementation uptake among eligible under-five children in Nigeria.

Keywords: Vitamin A supplementation education, vitamin A supplementation uptake, mothers, under-five children, vitamin A deficiency, child nutrition, micronutrient supplementation, maternal and child health, health education, child survival, preventive healthcare, public health, Nigeria.