Child Health care and the feeding of children: knowledge attitude and practice, and the hierarchy of resort

Abstract

In relation to the issues outlined above, a small research project was designed by staff and postgraduate students of the National University of Samoa in 2015. It aimed to review the evidence (summarised above) on infant malnutrition, and to design a small representative survey to examine the extent to which the government’s recommended child feeding practices are known, understood and practiced by mothers/caretakers and advised by health workers. The survey applied a knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) methodology. Nutrition-related KAP studies assess and explore peoples’ KAP relating to nutrition, diet, foods and closely related hygiene and health issues. Assessing nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and practices offers an opportunity to better understand a given situation by providing insights into the social, psychological