Maternal knowledge of childhood developmental milestones in Ashanti Region, Ghana.

Sheila Agyeiwaa Owusu, Ashura Bakari, Charles Kumi Hammond, Evans Otieku, Haruna Mahama, Cheryl Allen Moyer
Author Information
  1. Sheila Agyeiwaa Owusu: University for Development Studies, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Tamale, Ghana.
  2. Ashura Bakari: Suntreso Government Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
  3. Charles Kumi Hammond: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
  4. Evans Otieku: Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
  5. Haruna Mahama: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Department of Child Health, Kumasi, Ghana.
  6. Cheryl Allen Moyer: University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: the ability of parents to recognize the age at which children attain developmental milestones helps in the early identification of delays and subsequent intervention to improve outcomes. However, there is a dearth of published evidence about parents�� knowledge of children��s developmental milestones in Ghana. The objective was to determine maternal knowledge of childhood developmental milestones (CDM) among a community-based sample of mothers of children under the age of five, identify the factors associated with CDM knowledge and the sources of information.
Methods: a population-based cross-sectional study involving mothers of children less than five years resident in Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region of Ghana was selected in January 2023 using a multistage cluster sampling technique. Interviewer-based questionnaires were administered to eligible mothers. Knowledge of CDM and sources of CDM information were examined using descriptive statistics. Bivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors influencing CDM knowledge, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the factors associated with overall CDM knowledge.
Results: participants had low knowledge (19.3%) of all four domains of CDM. Approximately 40% of the participants reported receiving CDM information from relatives/friends and 14% from general health practitioners. Family income (p=0.01), participant level of education (p=0.04), and age of the first child (p=0.05) were significant influencing factors of CDM knowledge.
Conclusion: the level of knowledge of mothers on CDM was low in all four domains emphasizing the need for healthcare workers and Pediatric Society Groups to increase their focus on educating parents, especially mothers, regarding knowledge of CDM.

Keywords

References

  1. Infant Ment Health J. 2005 Mar;26(2):143-156 [PMID: 28682521]
  2. Int J Prev Med. 2017 Oct 24;8:84 [PMID: 29142650]
  3. BMC Public Health. 2010 Apr 08;10(1):183 [PMID: 20377910]
  4. Child Dev. 2014 Mar-Apr;85(2):593-609 [PMID: 24004448]
  5. Int Nurs Rev. 2016 Mar;63(1):50-9 [PMID: 25756927]
  6. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2021 Jun;22(6):372-384 [PMID: 33911229]
  7. Early Hum Dev. 2015 Jul;91(7):393-400 [PMID: 25981493]
  8. Annu Rev Psychol. 2015 Jan 3;66:433-57 [PMID: 25196276]
  9. Health Aff (Millwood). 2014 Dec;33(12):2099-105 [PMID: 25489027]
  10. Glob J Health Sci. 2015 Dec 18;8(8):51251 [PMID: 27045395]
  11. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2018 Mar 20;12:18 [PMID: 29568326]
  12. Int J Pediatr. 2020 Oct 22;2020:8889912 [PMID: 33149745]

MeSH Term

Humans
Ghana
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Child Development
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Mothers
Adult
Surveys and Questionnaires
Child, Preschool
Young Adult
Infant
Male
Educational Status
Adolescent
Middle Aged

Word Cloud

Created with Highcharts 10.0.0knowledgeCDMdevelopmentalmilestonesmothersfactorsagechildrenGhanachildhoodinformationp=0parentscommunity-basedfiveidentifyassociatedsourcesAshantiRegionusinganalysisinfluencingparticipantslowfourdomainslevelIntroduction:abilityrecognizeattainhelpsearlyidentificationdelayssubsequentinterventionimproveoutcomesHoweverdearthpublishedevidenceparents��children��sobjectivedeterminematernalamongsampleMethods:population-basedcross-sectionalstudyinvolvinglessyearsresidentAkrofuomselectedJanuary2023multistageclustersamplingtechniqueInterviewer-basedquestionnairesadministeredeligibleKnowledgeexamineddescriptivestatisticsBivariateconductedmultivariatelogisticregressionperformedevaluateoverallResults:193%Approximately40%reportedreceivingrelatives/friends14%generalhealthpractitionersFamilyincome01participanteducation04firstchild05significantConclusion:emphasizingneedhealthcareworkersPediatricSocietyGroupsincreasefocuseducatingespeciallyregardingMaternalParental

Similar Articles

Cited By

No available data.