Ndlovu Gabisile P, Sokhela Dudu G, Sibiya Maureen N
Health Unit, eThekwini Municipality.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2018 Aug 30;10(1):e1-e6. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v10i1.1743.
Malnutrition is a major public health challenge in developing countries. It has been identified as an important cause of child mortality and morbidity and leads to inadequate physical and cognitive development in children. The South African government implemented a strategy for malnutrition assessment in children under 5 years by community caregivers (CCGs), who would then refer children at risk or those having developed malnutrition to primary health care clinics. Irrespective of this strategy, children still present at clinics with severe malnutrition.
The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of community caregivers with the assessment of malnutrition in children under 5 years old.
The study was conducted in North Area six of eThekwini district in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
A qualitative, exploratory descriptive approach was used to collect data from 13 purposively selected CCGs. Content analysis was used to analyse data.
The majority of participants were dissatisfied with the training, as it was conducted in a language in which they were not proficient. They reported a lack of support and supervision in their performance such that mid-upper arm circumference was non-prioritised. They were dissatisfied with work overload not matched by remuneration and they worked under unsafe conditions.
Effective training of CCGs needs to be conducted in the language that they understand to combat malnutrition in children under 5 years. CCGs have multiple roles and may need to prioritise their work; this is not easy and requires specific guidance from skilled health professionals.
营养不良是发展中国家面临的一项重大公共卫生挑战。它已被确定为儿童死亡率和发病率的一个重要原因，并导致儿童身体和认知发育不足。南非政府实施了一项由社区护理人员（CCGs）对5岁以下儿童进行营养不良评估的战略，这些护理人员随后会将有风险或已出现营养不良的儿童转介到初级卫生保健诊所。尽管有这一战略，仍有儿童在诊所出现严重营养不良的情况。
本研究的目的是探索和描述社区护理人员对5岁以下儿童营养不良评估的经历。
该研究在夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔省伊泰夸尼区的北区六进行。
采用定性、探索性描述性方法，从13名经过有目的选择的社区护理人员处收集数据。使用内容分析法对数据进行分析。
大多数参与者对培训不满意，因为培训使用的语言他们并不精通。他们报告在工作中缺乏支持和监督，以至于上臂中部周长未被列为优先事项。他们对工作负担过重但报酬不匹配以及在不安全的条件下工作表示不满。
需要用社区护理人员能理解的语言对其进行有效培训，以应对5岁以下儿童的营养不良问题。社区护理人员有多种职责，可能需要对工作进行优先排序；这并不容易，需要熟练的卫生专业人员提供具体指导。
