BACKGROUND: The early childhood period is critical for physical, cognitive, and emotional development. However, many young children face developmental challenges due to malnutrition, insufficient parental education, and lack of adequate care. These factors can impede children’s ability to achieve age-appropriate developmental milestones. Providing parents, particularly mothers, with training on child development can significantly improve child growth and development outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a parenting education program designed to enhance maternal knowledge regarding child developmental milestones and delays among mothers of infants attending selected urban immunization centers. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, one-group pre-test post-test research design was employed to assess the impact of a parenting education program on maternal knowledge. A total of 89 mothers of infants aged 2–12 months were selected using purposive sampling from urban immunization centers. Participants were provided with structured parenting education sessions focused on child development, including the identification of developmental milestones and potential developmental delays. Pre- and post-intervention knowledge levels of mothers were measured using a pre-validated, structured questionnaire, which assessed their understanding of child growth and development. RESULTS: The pre-test mean score for maternal knowledge was 14.8 (SD = 3.2), indicating a moderate level of awareness regarding child development. After completing the parenting education program, the post-test mean score increased to 22.7 (SD = 3.5), reflecting a significant improvement in knowledge. A paired t -test was used to compare the pre-test and post-test scores, revealing a calculated t -value of 22.06. This was compared with the tabulated t -value of 1.98 at 88 degrees of freedom ( P < 0.05), supporting the hypothesis that the intervention had a statistically significant impact on maternal knowledge. The results demonstrated that the parenting education program effectively improved the mothers’ understanding of child developmental milestones and delays. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that parenting education programs are a valuable tool in enhancing maternal knowledge of child development. By increasing awareness about developmental milestones and delays, such programs empower mothers to recognize early signs of developmental issues and provide appropriate care to support their child’s growth. The study highlights the importance of integrating parenting education into public health initiatives, particularly in urban immunization centers, to address gaps in knowledge and foster better outcomes for both children and families. Given the significant improvements observed in maternal knowledge, it is recommended that similar parenting education programs be scaled up and integrated into regular healthcare services, ensuring that mothers across diverse settings have access to essential information that can positively influence child development.
Sharma et al. (Thu,) studied this question.