[TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR BEDOUIN MOTHERS: PREVENTION OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN CHILDREN - RESULTS FROM A COMMUNITY TRIAL STUDY].

INTRODUCTION: Anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, contributing to childhood morbidity and mortality. Knowledge, attitudes and behavior of caretakers and parents of toddlers can significantly prevent anemia.

OBJECTIVES: Assessment of workshop intervention to alter knowledge, attitudes and behavior in mothers of toddlers in the Bedouin population.

METHODS: Community trial study. The intervention group included: 150 mothers of healthy one-year-old toddlers receiving workshops culturally tailored for a month in addition to standard training in "Tipat-Halav" (Baby clinic). The control group included: 101 mothers of healthy one-year-old toddlers who received standard training. At the endpoint, mothers were tested in both groups to determine levels of knowledge based on the knowledge and attitudes questionnaire, and the food intake of their children was reviewed according to the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ).

RESULTS: Intervention group mothers correctly answered significantly more questions on knowledge and attitudes than the control group; 87.3% of the intervention group recognized the importance of giving iron supplements to prevent anemia compared to 73.3% in the control group (p=0.004). Over three-quarters of the intervention group and half of the control group knew that food affects mental development (p=0.001). In logistic regression, neutralization of SES variables, the intervention increased the rate mothers correctly answered questions 2 to 2.6 fold compared with the control group (p˂0.05). According to the FFQ, children in the intervention group ate more iron-rich foods of animal and vegetarian origin compared to the control group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The intervention improved the knowledge and behavior of mothers in preventing anemia in toddlers. It should be required to provide information and training activities for mothers of toddlers beyond standard training, increasing the awareness of foods rich in iron. This activity can be performed using cultural workshops on iron deficiency, as was performed in this study.