Relation between knowledge level, attitude and practice regarding micronutrients in postpartum women attended in the “Miguel Grau” Maternal Child Center, Lima

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice on micronutrients in puerperal women attended at the “Miguel Grau” Maternal and Child Center in Lima. Its approach is quantitative, of correlational design, not experimental, of retrospective cross-sectional and descriptive type. The sample (120 postpartum women) was selected by means of an intentional non-probability sampling, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. As a result, the level of knowledge of the puerperal women about the consumption of micronutrients was “regular” with 81.7%. The postpartum attitude towards their consumption of micronutrients was “favorable,” with 87.5%, - data corroborated in similar research. The practice of the puerperal women with regard to the consumption of micronutrients was “inadequate” in the entire sample, finding greater deficiency in the daily consumption of dairy foods. On the other hand, there is a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge and the attitude of the puerperal women about the consumption of micronutrients, via the Spearman's Rho of 0.001 (p <0.05). However, no statistically significant relationship was found between knowledge and practice, nor between the attitude and practice of postpartum women regarding the consumption of micronutrients, according to a Rho analysis by Spearman of 0.173 and 0.656 (p <0.05) respectively, which could be related to insufficient information, marital status, as well as the beliefs and myths that the puerperal women possesses.