Gaps in international nutrition and child feeding guidelines: a look at the nutrition and young child feeding education of Ghanaian nurses

• Published in: Public health nutrition 2017-08, Vol.20 (12), p.2215-2224
• Main Authors: Davis, Jennie N, Brown, Helen, Ramsay, Samantha A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adequacy; Adult; Anemia; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - diet therapy; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - epidemiology; Audio data; Body Mass Index; Breastfeeding & lactation; Caregivers; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Childrens health; Clinics; Community Nutrition; Content analysis; Data processing; Education; Education, Nursing; Families & family life; Feeding; Female; Food; Ghana; Global health; Guidelines; Health Behavior; Health care; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Hygiene; Infant; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Iron deficiency; Knowledge; Male; Maternal & child health; Middle Aged; Nurses; Nursing schools; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition; Nutrition Policy; Public health; Qualitative Research; Questionnaires; Research Papers; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980017000908

To examine the nutrition and young child feeding (YCF) education and training of nurses in public health clinics of Ghana's Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem region (KEEA) in relation to global health guidelines, and how nurses served as educators for caregivers with children aged 0-5 years. A qualitative study of semi-structured one-on-one and group interviews (n 21) following a questionnaire of closed- and open-ended questions addressing child feeding, nutrition and global health recommendations. Interviews were conducted in English, audio-recorded, transcribed and coded. Descriptive data were tabulated. Content analysis identified themes from open-ended questions. KEEA public health clinics (n 12). Nurses (n 41) purposefully recruited from KEEA clinics. A model capturing nurses' nutrition and YCF education emerged with five major themes: (i) adequacy of nurses' basic knowledge in breast-feeding, complementary feeding, iron-deficiency anaemia, YCF and hygiene; (ii) nurses' delivery of nutrition and YCF information; (iii) nurses' evaluation of children's health status to measure education effectiveness; (iv) nurses' perceived barriers of caregivers' ability to implement nutrition and YCF education; and (v) a gap in global health recommendations on YCF practices for children aged 2-5 years. Nurses demonstrated adequate nutrition and YCF knowledge, but reported a lack of in-depth nutrition knowledge and YCF education for children 2-5 years of age, specifically education and knowledge of YCF beyond complementary feeding. To optimize child health outcomes, a greater depth of nutrition and YCF education is needed in international health guidelines.