Mothers’ Performance in Feeding a Toddler with Diarrhea and its Related Factors

The role of mothers as main caregivers in toddlers with diarrhea and their familiarity with the factors associated with diarrhea is very important in managing the disease and preventing mortality. This study aimed to investigate the mothers’ performance regarding feeding a toddler with diarrhea and related factors.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 210 mothers who had toddlers with diarrhea that were selected through convenience sampling in Tehran, Iran, in 2021. The parental socio-demographic and toddler clinical characteristics questionnaire and Mother Performance questionnaire were used to collecting data. Data analysis was done using SPSS 20 software.

The mean age of the mothers and toddlers were 32.69±6.67 years and 23.97±7.24 months, respectively, and about 51.4% of toddlers were boys. The total mean scores of mothers’ performance was 121.92±8.37. There were significant differences in the mean scores of maternal performance based on the father's education level (p=0.03) and marital status (p=0.04). Furthermore, the frequent diarrhea and referral setting (p<0.0001) were significantly different in the hygiene principles and common beliefs dimension. Mothers with wanted pregnancy have better performance in the breastfeeding dimension (p=0.04).

The mothers’ performance regarding diarrhea and its dietary management is low, and less than half of them have a good level of knowledge. So it is necessary to improve and implement relevant policies to control and manage diarrhea.