Health promotion workshops in community kitchens: what do mothers think about them?

Introduction: health promotion offers paediatricians an essential tool to enhance the well being of children and their families. Health promotion can be developed in different settings. Community Kitchens may be an adequate setting for health promotion activities. Little information exists on parent perception about health workshops in community kitchens.

Objectives: evaluate mother´s opinion about health workshops in community kitchens.

Material and methods: between April and May 2006, patient education group visits were conducted in seven community kitchens in La Plata Town. Training was focused on respiratory infections, diarrhoea and parasitosis, using integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) material. After the group visit, an anonymous opinion survey was carried out.

Results: one hundred and forty five mothers answered the survey. The majority, 117 (80.7%), had attended the workshop because they considered health education helpful. One hundred forty-three (96.5%) answered that the meeting was an opportunity to learn and its contents were applicable to their child?s care for 127/131 (96.9%). Eighty two mothers (57.7%) referred that they have seldom or never talked with their doctor about health promotion.

Conclusion: the meeting group was considered helpful by mothers. The number of mothers that seldom or never talked with their doctor?s about health promotion resulted very high.

Keywords: Health promotion. Patient/community education. Community kitchen.