Knowledge and nutrition-related practices among caregivers of adolescents with sickle cell disease in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

Autor: Ohemeng A; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Biological Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon Boundary, Accra, Ghana. anohemeng@ug.edu.gh., Nartey EB; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Biological Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon Boundary, Accra, Ghana., Quaidoo E; Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States of America., Ansong RS; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Biological Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon Boundary, Accra, Ghana., Asiedu MS; Department of Nutrition and Food Science, School of Biological Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon Boundary, Accra, Ghana.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC public health [BMC Public Health] 2023 Mar 06; Vol. 23 (1), pp. 434. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Mar 06.
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15343-1
Abstrakt: Background: Due to its severe adverse effect on child mortality, sickle cell disease (SCD) has been identified as a set of diseases of public health concern. The high mortality rate among children with SCD in Africa has been attributed to several factors including sub-optimal management and care. This study documented the nutrition-related knowledge and practices of caregivers of teenagers who suffer from sickle cell disease (SCD) to inform decisions on integrated management of the disease.
Methods: The study included caregivers (n = 225) of adolescents with SCD who attended clinic at selected hospitals in Accra, Ghana. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was employed in the gathering of information related to general and nutrition-related knowledge about SCD, as well as data on their nutrition-related practices with regards to their children who suffer from SCD. Pearson's Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analyses were applied to explore the relationship between caregivers' nutrition-related knowledge and practice.
Results: Nutrition-related knowledge among the caregivers studied was low, with less than a third of them (29.3%) of the sample being classified as having good knowledge. Caregivers who considered nutrition care when the child experienced crises were few (21.8%), and those with low nutrition-related knowledge were less likely to do this compared with caregivers having high knowledge (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.18, 0.78). The common nutrition actions reported were the provision of more fruits/fruit juices (36.5%) and warm fluids such as soups and teas (31.7%). More than a third of the caregivers (38.7%) admitted that they faced challenges in caring for their adolescents with SCD, particularly in the area of finance for the needed health care.
Conclusion: Our study findings indicate that it is important to incorporate appropriate nutrition education messages for caregivers as part of a holistic management of SCD.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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