Abstract:
The study was carried out in the Maligawatta housing scheme, with the intention of finding
out whether there is an association between the maternal education and some of the
indicators of child survival in this community. An important objective of this study was to
find pathways of influence of maternal educational on child survival, so that the association
established by some of the researchers in the past, will become a causal one. The mother's
knowledge was tested in six areas, growth monitoring, oral rehydration therapy, breast
feeding, immunization, food supplementation and family planning. The mother's attitudes
and practices were examined in the following areas. availability of mother's time, power
relationship of the household, washing of hands, use of boiled cooled water for drinking
purpose, immunization when suffer from minor ailments, breast feeding when suffer from
diarrhea and use of thick clothes at time of fever. Recommendations are made regarding
health education of mothers and also the relevance of further research on the same line for
formulation of health and educational policies is stressed
