Health Facility Factors That Influence The Use Of Growth Monitoring Clinic Services By Children Aged Between Twelve And Fifty Nine Months In Rural Area, Machakos County, Kenya

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the health facility factors that influence the use of growth monitoring clinic services by children aged between twelve and fifty nine months in rural area in Machakos County, Kenya. Simple random sampling was used to obtain 384 children aged between twelve and fifty nine months to participate in the study. The care givers who brought the children to the health facility to seek heath services responded to the questionnaires. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer packages. Results showed that use of growth monitoring clinic services declined as children grew order. Care givers had low awareness on health facility categories that offered growth monitoring clinic services and maximum age that children under five years old were expected to use growth monitoring clinic services. Results also revealed that minimal health education had ever been given by health care providers to care givers about the importance need to take older children aged between twelve and fifty nine months for growth monitoring clinic services. Majority of the respondents said they used Kangundo Sub- County hospital to seek health services because all services were available. In addition, the respondents said use of growth monitoring clinic services by children aged between twelve and fifty-nine months reduced as children grew older and by the time they are 59 months old only about 23% attend clinic. However, they were quick to say older children were usually taken to the clinic for treatment and not for growth monitoring as the researcher expected. Chi- Square test for significance was = 9.708, and p - value 0.375. From the findings of this study, the conclusion was that use of growth monitoring clinic services by children aged between twelve and fifty-nine months reduced gradually as the children grew older as a result of lack of awareness on health facilities that offer growth monitoring clinic services whether older children need clinic services and the availability of all health services in various levels of public health facilities.