Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Parents toward Early Childhood Development in Belagavi City: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Context: As the educational levels and socioeconomic status of parents are low in developing countries, providing knowledge about early childhood development (ECD), the importance of early stimulation, proper caregiving practices, and ensuring the quality of the home environment through an integrated intervention is critical. In this situation, it is also critical to consider and assess the parental facts, attitudes, and practices before devising any intervention strategy. Hence, the current study intended to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents in ECD. Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted in Belagavi City on 200 parents of children between the age group of 0 and 5 years. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the parents about ECD visiting the well-baby clinic and pediatric outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital. Statistical Analysis: For the test of significance, Chi-square and multiple liner regression analysis were used to find out the relationship between factors and to find the dependency status between dependent and independent variables. Results: In knowledge, P = 0.001 indicated significant knowledge of parents about the ECD, providing a strong understanding of their child’s development. The parents frequently paid attention to their children’s behavior, indicating that they had a positive attitude toward their children’s growth with a significant P = 0.001, and in the practice part, P = 0.001 indicated good significant practice of parents by frequently performing home learning techniques. Conclusion: The present study concluded that parents exhibit significant knowledge, positive attitudes, and effective practices regarding child development for children aged 0 to 5 years.