Mother's knowledge and practice about child health

Background:
The mother’s knowledge and practice about breastfeeding and environmental tobacco smoke are important factors for child health and development.

 Aim:
To test differences in mother’s knowledge and practice about breastfeeding and environmental tobacco smoke according to socio demographic factors
To identify predictors of mother’s practice about breastfeeding and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).

 Method:
The questionnaire was developed and used for the survey in the sample of 466 mothers of 2-yeard old children in Belgrade. The SPSS ver 13 was used for the the statistical analysis of data.

 Results:
Older mothers with higher level of education and from higher socioeconomic group were more knowledgeable about child nutrition then younger mothers who were less educated.
Significant differences were determined in the breastfeeding practice according to number of children in the family. The predictors of breastfeeding were previous experience of breastfeeding, positive attitude toward breastfeeding, mother’s age and education, number of children, smoking status and number of activities implemented in family by educated nurses.

 Mothers with higher level of education and from higher socioeconomic group were more knowledgeable about hazards of ETS then mothers who were less educated and from lower socioeconomic group. Significant differences were determined in smoking practice and preventive efforts according to the level of education and socio economic background. The predictors of smoking practice and preventive efforts were attitude toward smoking, number of smokers in home and home rules about smoking.

 Conclusion:
Socio demographic factors as well as home visits are factors influencing mother’s knowledge and practice about breastfeeding and environmental tobacco smoke.