Effect of an Educational Intervention among Rural Mothers Regarding Knowledge about Danger Signs in Children under-5 Years of Age

Background Despite improving different sectors, child survival remains a challenge. In 2019, an estimated 5.30 million children died globally, mostly from preventable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria which are considered as danger among under-5 children. Objectives The objective was to assess the effect of an educational intervention among rural mothers regarding danger signs in under-5 children. Material and Method A community-based intervention study was conducted on 480 (240 in study and control arm each) randomly selected rural mothers who had under-5 children. Baseline data were collected from house-to-house visits. The educational intervention was given to the study arm in sub-centers/outreach camps with a laptop and projector using “Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses” videos and chart booklets. Three interventions were given at 3-month intervals. Seven days after each intervention repeat data were collected by home visit and collected data coded, entered, and analyzed in Excel and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 20. Results There was no statistically significant difference in knowledge score across the arms at baseline. Friedman test indicated that the knowledge score of the study arm was found to increase significantly at all levels of assessments compared to that of baseline score as well as the previous level whereas the knowledge score at level 3 did not show a significant increase over that of level-2. However, for the control arm, it was found to be increased significantly at level-3 assessment compared to other levels of assessment. Conclusion Mothers’ awareness regarding danger signs in children is necessary and could be improved by a cost-effective intervention strategy.