Impact of nutrition education programs on nutritional status through mass media with emphasis on television

Abstract

A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out amongst 150 mothers having
under five children from different socio-economic groups o f a rural area of
Bangladesh. They were interviewed on health and nutrition related programs
telecast by Bangladesh Television (BTV). Results of the research showed that the
programs of mass media like television on nutritional aspect influence on the
nutritional awareness o f the respondents. Out of 150 respondents practiced weaning
of whom 47% were influenced by television. Radio and television were the source of
knowledge of nutritional disorders for most of the respondents. Again, mothers
practiced extra diet during pregnancy of whom 63% were motivated by radio,
newspapers and other sources while 52% by television. It was revealed that the
higher socio-economic group possessed comparatively better nutritional status than
the lower socio-economic group (p = 0.0000). It was found that 91% of the mothers
with monthly family income level Taka 7,500 and above was nutritionally normal in
terms of Body Mass Index (BMI). Only 21% o f the mothers were found to be
nutritionally normal in the income level below Taka 2,500.In terms of mothers'
education, it was observed that children of literate mothers possessed better
nutritional status than the illiterate ones. Again, 34% children o f literate mothers
were found to possess normal nutritional status and 11% children of the illiterate
mothers were normal.