The response of mothers to health education and the incidence of gastro-enteritis among their babies in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

The study was carried out among 100 nursing mothers attending infant welfare clinics in order to evaluate their behavioural response to methods of hygiene taught to them about their babies' feeding utensils by health workers. The respondents studied were those with children whose ages ranged between 0 and 12 months, irrespective of birth order. One major purpose of organizing educational talks and of demonstrating food preparations and hygiene is to reduce and possibly prevent the prevalence of intestinal infections, especially during the transition from breast to bottle feeding and to the use of solids. Therefore, the incidence of gastro-enteritis among babies who attended the clinic was investigated. In the analysis of their behavioural response, consideration was given to the environmental conditions under which respondents lived. The response of the mothers was positive to health education. There was a significant difference in the incidence of diarrhoea among babies at the 1% level after exposure of their mothers to health education.