Attribute | Quantitative findings | Qualitative findings | Implications |
---|---|---|---|
Attendance to the growth monitoring and promotion programme | - Mean annual attendance 6.0 ± 2.9 - Proportion meeting ≥6 visits: 46.8% - Proportion meeting the recommended ≥9 visits: 13.6% - Overall drop-out rate: 59.5% | Attendance based on maternal age, parity, postpartum socio-cultural practices, financial constraints, irregular staff remuneration, delays, unprofessional staff behaviours, high premium on vaccinations & general misconceptions about GMP programme | Increase home visitations and target the following mothers: teenagers, single parents, women above 40 years, and those with parity above four children |
Change in weight-for-age z-score during participation and the determining factors | WAZ of 69.1% of the children improved. Determinants: - Underweight at baseline (AOR:11.1, 95% CI:4.0–31.0) - ≥6 annual visits (AOR:2.2, 95% CI:1.1–4.1) ≥9 annual visits (AOR:4.7, 95% CI:1.4–15.1) | Deterioration in growth attributed to drop-out rates from the GMP programme, inadequate counselling, ineffective staff-client rapport, communication lapses, emphasis on achieving meeting vaccinations to the neglect of the other components of the programme | - Sensitization on contribution of routine growth monitoring and promotion to early child development and the dangers associated with unidentified growth faltering |
Motivation to attend and level of satisfaction with service delivery | - Motivators for attendance were knowledge of child’s growth status and child vaccination. - 31% (95% CI: 25–37) of mothers satisfied - 59% (95% CI: 52–65) of mothers dissatisfied with service delivery | Satisfied as result of awareness of child’s growth and education provided on child care. Dissatisfaction resulted from: long waiting times; late start of clinic; uncomfortable clinic area, monies collected as services charges and negative staff attitude | - Primary healthcare systems should be strengthened to improve service delivery by increasing availability and accessibility to the service; staff supervision, training and monitoring |