From awareness to action: enhancing mothers’ knowledge and practices on lead exposure among young children in the Bani-Khaled Village, Minia Governorate

BACKGROUND: Children's health is a basic pillar for sustainable development, directly influencing social stability, economic growth, and national progress. Lead exposure represents a community health risk, particularly among children. High amounts of lead exposure may have negative effects on the brain, learning, and central nervous system and may result in coma, death, and seizures. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in enhancing mothers' knowledge and practices regarding lead exposure among young children in Bani-Khaled Village, Minia Governorate. METHODS: A quasi experimental design was utilized to assess mothers' knowledge and practices pre- and postintervention. The intervention was divided into eight sessions, lectures, group discussions, brainstorming, movies, and photos. A systematic random sample of 251 mothers was selected. Two hundred fifty-one mothers participated. Data analysis was carried out via descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, paired t tests, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression techniques. RESULTS: Postintervention evaluation demonstrated the educational intervention was associated with notable improvements in mothers' knowledge and practices regarding lead exposure among young children in Bani-Khaled village. The mean knowledge score increased from 8.5 ± 2.3 to 15.2 ± 2.1 (t = 38.47, p < 0.001). While the mean practice score increased from 9.2 ± 1.8 to 14.3 ± 1.9 (t = 39.12, p < 0.001). While a strong correlation was observed between knowledge and practices before the intervention, the post-intervention correlation was weak. CONCLUSION: The educational intervention demonstrated a positive effect on improving mothers' knowledge and practices regarding lead exposure among young children. Future research should incorporate longer follow-up periods and broader community samples to better understand program effectiveness across different contexts and caregiver groups.