Developmental knowledge levels of mothers of children between 0-36 months admitted to the hospital

Aim: The purpose of this thesis research is to evaluate the developmental knowledge level of the mothers of children aged 6-36 months admitted to the hospital and to determine the knowledge level of the mothers according to their children's developmental risks such as chronic health problems, developmental delay and screen exposure. In addition, it was aimed to learn the ways of obtaining information for the mothers of the children who applied to the hospital. Material and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study involving 178 children aged 6-36 months and their mothers who applied to İnönü University Turgut Özal Medical Center Child Health and Diseases clinic due to a congenital or acquired chronic health problem or an acute health problem. "Caregiver Knowledge of Child Development Inventory " (CKCDI) was applied to mothers and the International Guidance for Monitoring and Supporting Development (GIDR) was administered to the children participating in the study. Results: The number of the children with chronic health problems among the children in the sample is 84 (47.2%). Developmental delays requiring support in 1 or more areas were found in 62 (34.8%) of the children. The number of children with screen exposure is 90 (50.6%). The total score average of the mothers' development knowledge was found to be 18.4 ± 6.5 (the highest score is 40). Education level was found to be the most important determinant of developmental knowledge (p <0.001). In addition, a significant difference was observed between the employment status of the mothers and the income status of the family and the scale score (p <0.001, p <0.001). There was no significant difference between the child's gender, age, having a chronic health problem, developmental delay and maternal age variables and CKCDI score (p> 0.05). It was observed that the CKCDI score of those who were exposed to the screen was significantly lower than those who were not exposed to the screen (p <0.001). It was determined that mothers mostly prefer to get information from doctors and nurses. Conclusion: The developmental knowledge level of the mothers of all children between the ages of 6 and 36 months is low. The most important determinant of developmental knowledge is found as the education level of the mother. Hospital applications can be an important opportunity to contribute to child development by increasing mothers' developmental knowledge. Keywords: Caregiver Knowledge of Child Development Inventory, Chronic health problem, Developmental delay, Screen exposure