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Objectives <p>To evaluate the impact of sensitization of mothers and caregivers of children aged 0–3&#xa0;years on mother and child protection (MCP) card for promoting nurturing care of early childhood development<b> (</b>NC–ECD) and assess the healthcare workers’ (HCWs) perceptions of its effectiveness in promoting NC–ECD.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study conducted over 12&#xa0;months included participants from three Community Health Centers (CHCs) in North Guwahati. Mothers and caregivers of children aged 0–3&#xa0;years participated in a structured sensitization session on NC–ECD using the MCP card as a teaching aid, followed by pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessments. HCWs also attended the sensitization sessions and subsequently evaluated the MCP card’s utility through a structured five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired <i>t</i> tests.</p> Results <p>A total of 100 mothers and 72 HCWs participated. The mean (SD) composite maternal knowledge score improved significantly from 8.7 (2.1) to 12.3 (1.8) (mean difference 3.6; 95% CI 3.1–4.2; <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Significant gains were seen in child development monitoring, responsive feeding, language stimulation, motor–cognitive development, hygiene, and early feeding. HCWs rated the MCP card highly for cognitive–motor development (100%), bonding (98.6%), and immunization adherence (98.6%), but lower for language stimulation (81.9%) and healthcare referrals (86.1%).</p> Conclusions <p>The MCP card effectively enhances maternal knowledge in key NC–ECD areas, although gaps remain in language stimulation and healthcare referrals as perceived by HCWs. Strengthening its role through structured training programs and digital educational tools could optimize its impact on early childhood development.</p>

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Mother and Child Protection Card for Promoting Nurturing Care of Early Childhood Development

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月17日

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  • Murchana Khound,
  • Rashmi Agarwalla,
  • Shantasree Ghosh,
  • Jaya Shankar Kaushik

摘要

Objectives

To evaluate the impact of sensitization of mothers and caregivers of children aged 0–3 years on mother and child protection (MCP) card for promoting nurturing care of early childhood development (NC–ECD) and assess the healthcare workers’ (HCWs) perceptions of its effectiveness in promoting NC–ECD.

Methods

A cross-sectional study conducted over 12 months included participants from three Community Health Centers (CHCs) in North Guwahati. Mothers and caregivers of children aged 0–3 years participated in a structured sensitization session on NC–ECD using the MCP card as a teaching aid, followed by pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessments. HCWs also attended the sensitization sessions and subsequently evaluated the MCP card’s utility through a structured five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t tests.

Results

A total of 100 mothers and 72 HCWs participated. The mean (SD) composite maternal knowledge score improved significantly from 8.7 (2.1) to 12.3 (1.8) (mean difference 3.6; 95% CI 3.1–4.2; P < 0.001). Significant gains were seen in child development monitoring, responsive feeding, language stimulation, motor–cognitive development, hygiene, and early feeding. HCWs rated the MCP card highly for cognitive–motor development (100%), bonding (98.6%), and immunization adherence (98.6%), but lower for language stimulation (81.9%) and healthcare referrals (86.1%).

Conclusions

The MCP card effectively enhances maternal knowledge in key NC–ECD areas, although gaps remain in language stimulation and healthcare referrals as perceived by HCWs. Strengthening its role through structured training programs and digital educational tools could optimize its impact on early childhood development.