An evaluation of the effect of a communication system on the knowledge of mothers and nutritional status of pre-school children in rural Philippines
Solon, Jørgen Eskemose Andersen, E. De León, Maria Jose Ghisays Lopez, Eireen Bañez · 1988
In 1976 the Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) developed the Nutri-Pak product containing cracked rice ground mung bean coconut oil and powdered milk for child nutrition and relied on barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) to bring about behavioral change in child-feeding practices. 30 fully equipped Nutri-Buses were launched in villages in Leyte and Samar provinces using videotape recorders to reinforce communication. Improvements in nutritional knowledge and attitudes and nutritional status were found in the Nutri-Bus areas surveyed in rural Philippines. Feeding standards improved as measured by mothers reports of what they fed their children. In 1979 when contrasting the comparison condition to the videotape recorder Leyte (VTRL) condition the mothers in the VTRL condition were 55% more likely to describe complete meals. Comparing the BNS to the VTRL condition mothers in the VTRL condition were 472% more likely to name Nutri-Pak as a good snack and 71% more likely to correctly and specifically describe Nutri-Pak. When comparing 1979 and 1981 results in the rural areas the mothers were 27% more likely to describe complete meals in 1981. Regarding nutritional status in 1979 when comparing the BNS to the VTRL condition in the rural areas there was 25% less second- and third-degree malnutrition after the VTRL exposure and 29% more normal and first-degree malnutrition using weight-for-age in the Harvard standards and the Gomez classification. When the 1979 results were compared to the 1981 results there was a 17% decrease in second- and third-degree malnutrition and a 12% increase in normal and first-degree malnutrition. Evidence from the 1979 and 1981 evaluations of the Nutri-Bus project supports the assumption that the Nutri-Bus project is effective. It also reinforces the recognized need for improvement in the field management system in videotape production efficiency and in the Nutri-Pak distribution system.