Mothers as agents of growth monitoring: implications for widespread community growth monitoring

Abstract

A total of 518 mothers, aged 18 to 45 years, were interviewed to study a variety of indicators and local standards used to assess the course of their children's growth. The features most frequently recognized by mothers as indicators of growth were related to maternal age. parity and educational status. The younger mothers (age ≤ 30 years and parity ≤ 3) used weight and health frequently to assess growth, while the older mothers recognized growth by comparison with other children and changes in mood (P < 0.01). The latter two indicators were found to be a function of maternal experience. Unlike age and parity, age and education seemed to have no joint association with the various responses. We conclude and recommend that weight, health and stages of development are reliable and acceptable indices for community growth monitoring.