Effect of Educational Program on Mothers’ Awareness Regarding Care of Their Children with Congenital Hypothyroidism

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) one of the most common preventable causes of intellectual disability. Aim: To evaluate the effect of educational program on mothers' awareness regarding care of children with congenital hypothyroidism. Subject and Method: One group pre-posttest quasi experimental research design was used to achieve the aim of the current study. Setting: The study was conducted at the thyroid gland clinic of Al-Mabarrah Model clinic affiliated to Health Insurance Organization at Minia governorate. Sample: A purposive sample composed of 50 mothers having children with congenital hypothyroidism. Three tools: Tool I: Structured interview questionnaire sheet; consisted of three parts, Part 1: Bio-demographic characteristics of mothers. Part 2: Bio-demographic characteristics of the studied children. Part 3: Mothers' knowledge about congenital hypothyroidism. Tool II: Mothers' reported practices about congenital hypothyroidism. Tool III: Mothers' attitude regarding congenital hypothyroidism. The program had done over 3 months extending from the beginning of April to the end of June 2024. Results: It was found that all of mothers had satisfactory level of knowledge and attitude in post-program compared to one quarter pre-program. On the other hand; the minority of the studied mother had satisfactory level of self-reported practices pre-program compared to all of them post-program. Conclusion: Educational program contributes to improvement in mothers' awareness regarding care of children with congenital hypothyroidism evidenced by higher level of knowledge, reported practices and attitude of mothers in post-program compared to pre-program with statistically significant differences. Recommendations: Periodical educational training program for mothers at the hospital regarding care of their children with congenital hypothyroidism should be conducted