Knowledge and Practice Regarding Toilet Training Among Mothers of Toddler at Sundarharaicha, Morang, Nepal

Introduction: Toilet training is a significant milestone in a child's development involving both physiological and psychological readiness. It is the process of teaching toddler to control the bowel and bladder. Mother plays a crucial role in the toilet training process. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and practice regarding toilet training among mothers of toddler at Sundarharaicha, Morang, Nepal. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Sundarharaicha, Morang, Nepal from August 2022 to July 2023 involving 215 mothers of toddler aged 15 to 36 months selected through convenience sampling. Purbanchal University School of Health Sciences- Institutional Review Committee (PUSHS-IRC) granted ethical clearance and informed consent were taken from study participants. Data were collected through interview using a questionnaire and checklist. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis using SPSS version 21. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: Among 215 mothers, 36.3% of the mothers had moderate knowledge, 34.4% had inadequate knowledge and 29.3% had adequate knowledge regarding toilet training. There was a significant association between knowledge and socio-demographic variables like educational status (p=0.005), occupation of the mother (p=0.008), number of children (p=0.014), birth order (p=0.012), sources of information (p=0.001) and previous experience (p=.001) regarding toilet training. Similarly there was a significant association between practice and socio-demographic variables like educational status (p=0.001) and source of information (p=0.010) at p<0.05 level of significance. Conclusion: It was concluded that less than half of the mothers had moderate knowledge and unsatisfactory level of practice on toilet training. An adequate knowledge and satisfactory practice on toilet training will help in normal growth and development of children.