Abstract

Background: Normal activities performed in life require a balanced diet and healthy body which should be built during childhood. Malnutrition is a health problem which develops as a result of insufficient food nutrients supplied to the body. Mothers are responsible for baby's nourishment; with sufficient information, they can protect their children from this health problem. This study was done to assess the knowledge of mothers about malnutrition and to investigate the associated factors.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted during the period from June to October 2018 via an online survey. Eight hundred participants (mothers) were included. The questionnaire included questions about demographics and malnutrition.
Results: The mean ± SD score of knowledge was 16.2 ± 2.4, 62.25% knew about malnutrition and the main source of the knowledge was a doctor (62.5%). There were several demographics that significantly influenced the knowledge of mothers, including age (p = 0.008), educational level (p = 0.02), monthly income (p = 0.001), number of children (p = 0.01), breastfeeding (p = 0.03), and source of knowledge (p = 0.003).
Conclusion: There was an acceptable level of knowledge of mothers regarding malnutrition of children, and there were several factors that affected the level of knowledge, including age and educational level of mothers, monthly income, number of children, breastfeeding, and source of knowledge.

Key words: Malnutrition, children, mothers, knowledge