Effects of Educational Interventions on Maternal Self-efficacy and Childhood Diarrhea: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Diarrhea still causes high morbidity and mortality in children under five, requiring constant interventions. Thus, the study aims to evaluate the effects of educational technologies on maternal self-efficacy to prevent childhood diarrhea. METHODS: Randomized clinical trial carried out in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, with four randomized groups of mothers of children under 5 years of age, as follows: control group (n = 61), group A (booklet, n = 60), group B (video, n = 60), and group AB (booklet and video, n = 60). From June to October 2015, data collection was carried out in three moments (the first in person and the others by telephone monitoring). RESULTS: All groups improved their self-efficacy after the intervention, with higher scores in the group AB (booklet and video). A statistically significant association was found between the occurrence of diarrhea and maternal self-efficacy in groups A (booklet) (p = 0.023) and AB (booklet and video) (p = 0.042) at the second moment of data collection. From the second moment to the third moment, the risk of diarrhea decreased in group A, from 12.8 to 1.3, and in group AB, from 8.5 to 1.1. CONCLUSION: The technologies used, isolated or combined, were effective in improving maternal self-efficacy and decreasing the occurrence of childhood diarrhea; therefore, they can be used by nurses as health education tools.

Audiovisual and printed technology to prevent childhood diarrhea: A clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of using an educational booklet and a video alone or together in promoting maternal self-efficacy to prevent childhood diarrhea. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Randomized multicenter clinical trial with 522 mothers of children under 5 years of age from northeastern Brazil. They were allocated into eight groups, according to the city: metropolis - video alone (N = 61), booklet alone (N = 60), booklet and video along (N = 60), without intervention (N = 60); countryside - booklet alone (N = 70), video alone (N = 70), booklet and video along (N = 71), without intervention (N = 70). MEASUREMENTS: A sociodemographic form and the Maternal Self-Efficacy Scale for preventing early childhood diarrhea. RESULTS: Increases in self-efficacy scores were observed in all experimental groups after the educational intervention. Urban mothers living had greater self-efficacy than rural mothers. This result was verified in the video alone group (p = .036) and without intervention group (p = .003). Mothers in all intervention groups, regardless of the educational intervention used, had higher self-efficacy scores than the comparison group mothers (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The tested educational technologies promoted maternal self-efficacy to prevent childhood diarrhea, regardless of whether they are applied alone or in combination.