Impact of Behavioural Change Communication on the Knowledge and Child Survival Practices of Mothers of Under-Five Children in South-West Nigeria

Background and objective: Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) is useful in promoting positive health outcomes through several models. However, its potential in promoting Child Survival (CS) practices remains understudied. Furthermore, poor child survival practices among mothers of under-five children have greatly contributed to the leading causes of child deaths in Nigeria. The study was conducted to evaluate the impact of BCC on knowledge and child survival practices of mothers of under-five children in Southwestern, Nigeria. Methods: Cluster randomized design involving a four-stage sampling technique was adopted to sample mother-child pairs from 654 households in Oyo, Ogun, and Ekiti States of Nigeria. The 654 (218 per state) were randomly assigned to the Experimental Group (EG) (327) and Control Group (CG) (327). The experimental group was exposed to six sessions of BCC and followed up using an inter-personal communication approach for six months. Pre-tested, interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaires containing 12-point knowledge and 13-point practice scales were used to assess mothers' knowledge and practices of CS. The CS components measured were newborn care, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, micronutrient supplementation, immunisation, management of sick children, and use of mosquito nets. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and paired students' t-test at α0.05. Results: Mean Ages of mothers and children were 31.19±6.1 years and 31.49±15.9 months respectively. Mothers' knowledge of CS components significantly increased from 4.5±3.0 at baseline to 10.2±1.8 for EG and increased from 4.9±2.1 to 5.3±2.1 for CG. Mothers' practice of CS increased from 3.96±2.13 at baseline to 12.9±2.4 for EG and from 3.8±2.1 to 3.9±2.1 for CG. There was an improvement of 5.64±3.37 and 8.94±3.17 for mothers' knowledge and practices respectively. A large effect of BCC (0.74, 0.89) on the knowledge and practices of mothers of the under-five children was revealed in the study. Conclusion: Behavioural change communication through interpersonal communication has improved mothers' child survival knowledge and practices and its use is thereby recommended for promoting child survival practices among mothers of under-five children.