The Effect of Increased Correction in Modifying Some Improper Eating Habits in Malnourished Children

Abstract

Not necessarily to be malnutrition is a result of poverty and lack of food, it may be the outcome of the wrong food practices; and the lack of knowledge in nutrition basis and chronic diseases. Some studies have confirmed that the more the knowledge in nutrition basis increased, the more the child has well-balanced food.

Unhealthy eating habits spread among children at an early age, which is one of the negative factors affecting the nutritional status they have causing various disorders as a result of lack or increase of food or lack of balance. The signs and symptoms of these disorders can be simple or can lead to deadly diseases.

Training children on proper eating habits in different fields of life is considered the most important functions of kindergarten's teacher, and whenever such habits are correct, the child grows up healthy, physically and psychologically. This is because the physical health depends largely on mental health and the habits that an individual accustomed them since childhood.Current research goal have been identified by:

_ knowing the effect of increased correction program in modifying some improper eating habits in malnourished children, and that requires the testing the following hypotheses :

1. There are no statistically significant differences between the sign scores of the experimental group on the list of unhealthy dietary habits between the pre and post tests.
2. There are no statistically significant differences between the sign scores of the control group on the list of unhealthy dietary habits between the pre and post tests.
3. There are no statistically significant differences between the sign scores of the experimental and control groups on the list of unhealthy dietary habits after applying the program of increased correction in the post test.
4. There are no statistically significant differences between the sign scores of the experimental group on the list of unhealthy dietary habits between the first post test and the second one.

And to achieve the goal of the current research, (30) children was chosen intention from (5) kindergartens in the districts of Baghdad city. To measure  improper eating habits and measure malnutrition caused by lack of protein, the researcher tries to:

1. Build a measurement of improper dietary habits contains (55) points.
2. Build a measurement of malnutrition that caused by lack of protein contains (22) points.
3. Build a program that uses the method of increased correction to modify some of unhealthy dietary habits of malnourished children due to lack of protein, contains (14) meetings.

These measurements and program have submitted to a group of experts and specialists in fields of medicine of society, nutrition, and educational and psychological sciences, who are (20) experts to evaluate the validity of the points. The researcher found the truth of the two measurements and the program, and she also found two kinds of stability for the measurement of unhealthy dietary habits, which are (85%) in the way of re-test and (88%) in the way of Alvakronbach.

 the research found the following results:

1. There are statistically significant differences between pre and post tests on the list of unhealthy dietary habits and in favor of the experimental group post test.
2. There are no statistically significant differences between pre and post tests for the control group.
3. There are statistically significant differences between the scores' orders of the experimental group and the control group on the list unhealthy dietary habits after applying the program and this due to the effect and effectiveness of the program.
4. There are statistically significant differences between the scores' orders of the experimental group in the first post test and the second one after (3) weeks.
5. The method of increased correction led to fully modify the unhealthy dietary habits of malnourished children within a period of only (7) weeks.

For these results, the researcher reached to a number of recommendations.