| dc.description.abstract | Good nutrition during middle childhood (5 to 10 y) is important and should
be emphasized. In Sri Lanka, significant levels of middle childhood malnutrition
have been linked to poor eating habits. This study was conducted to examine the
current nutritional condition of middle childhood in Sri Lanka and to
investigate mothers’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) on meeting the
nutritional needs of children in middle childhood. The available nutrition guidelines
and existing data sources on nutrient status in middle childhood were examined. An
online survey was conducted as a cross-sectional study to investigate KAB of
mothers on fulfilling middle childhood nutrition requirements in Sri Lanka. The
finding revealed that the mothers’ levels of knowledge (66%) was moderate and
attitudes (68%) was high as evaluated based on a scoring system prepared by the
investigators. The attitude toward the behavior was found to have a significant
effect (p=0.003). Although there was no significant effect of the mother's knowledge
towards behavior, a significant correlation was observed between the mother’s
knowledge and attitude (p=0.038). There was no reliable Sri Lankan national data
source for continuous statistics on the nutritional status of each age group of 5 to 10
y. In conclusion, the majority of mothers had high levels of positive attitudes toward
middle childhood nutrition requirements and moderate level of general knowledge.
In Sri Lanka, there were no specific nutrition guidelines aimed at middle childhood.
These findings may serve as the basis for enhance the nutritional status of the
respective age segment in Sri Lanka. | en_US |
