scholarly journals Factors influencing complementary feeding practices in rural and semi-urban Rwanda: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryse Umugwaneza ◽  
Lize Havemann-Nel ◽  
Hester H. Vorster ◽  
Edelweiss Wentzel-Viljoen

Abstract The aim of the present study was to identify and describe the factors influencing feeding practices of children aged 6–23 months in Rwanda. This is a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative study. A total of ten focus group discussions were conducted separately with mothers, fathers, grandmothers and community health workers (CHWs) from five different districts in Rwanda. The discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed using qualitative data analysis software, Atlas.ti. The study participants were mothers, fathers and grandmothers of children aged 6–23 months and CHWs in charge of child health. Caregivers’ knowledge and beliefs about the benefits of breast-feeding and timely introduction of complementary food were found to be the primary individual factors facilitating good infant and young child feeding practices. The common belief of caregivers that infants should be given liquids (thin gruel, fruit juices and meat broth) as first foods instead of semi-solid foods was a barrier to good feeding practices. The community-based nutrition education and counselling programmes were facilitators of good complementary practices at the group level. At the society level, poverty in rural agrarian households was a barrier to optimal feeding practices. The study shows that there is a need to empower caregivers with more specific guidelines, especially on complementary feeding.

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Md Saizuddin ◽  
Md Shahidul Hasan ◽  
Md Rashidul Islam ◽  
Md Alfazzaman ◽  
MM Mafizur Rahman ◽  
...  

A descriptive type of cross sectional study was carried out to assess the pattern of infant & young child feeding practices by the rural mothers of Bangladesh with a sample size of 450 during the months of January, 2015 to December, 2015. Out of 450 children, 51.1% are female & 48.9% are male. The proportions of infants with early initiation of breastfeeding (13.6%) and exclusive breastfeeding fewer than six months (57.3%) and infants who received complementary feeding at the age of 6-8 months (55.7%) were low. It showed that 90.4% of mothers have knowledge on exclusive breast feeding but only 57.3% of them have practiced it for 4-6 months. It further revealed that only 8.4% of mothers & 13.6 % of fathers are illiterate. The main problems revealed from the study were late initiation of breastfeeding, low rates of exclusive breastfeeding and inappropriate complementary feeding practices. It further revealed that 69.3% of the respondents had two or less children and only 30.7% had three or more children.Medicine Today 2016 Vol.28(1): 1-5


2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (191) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram Hari Chapagain

Introduction: Lack of knowledge and proper feeding practices contribute to higher childhood morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study wasto evaluate the mother’s knowledge and practices in terms of quantity, quality and timing of complementary feeding in infant and young child.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted between June, 2010 to October, 2011, at Kanti Children's Hospital, Nepal, involving 1100 mothers of children from 6 to 24 months of age who attended outpatient department of this hospital, applying systematic sampling technique using semi-structured questionnaire.Results: Eighty-seven percent of mothers had knowledge about the duration of exclusive breast feeding but only 33.0% practiced it and 21.0% breast fed their children up to 3 months. Eighty-seven percent of mothers knew when to start complementary feeding and 53.27% of mothers used the marketed weaning food. lito alone was offered by 28.27% as complementary food. Though 36.6% had proper knowledge of frequency of complementary feeding, only 33.27% were actually practicing it and 9.9% were offering more frequent thanrecommended. About half of the mothers fed their child with the food of appropriate consistency and 66.0% fed with the appropriate amount. But only 15.82% mothers fed their children with ideal frequency, sufficient amount and ideal quality.Conclusions: There was a knowledge and practice gap of duration of exclusive breast feeding and initiation and continuation of ideal complementary feeding. Rate of exclusive breast feeding was on declining trend._______________________________________________________________________________________Keywords: complementary feeding; exclusive breast feeding; infant and young child feeding; ideal feeding._______________________________________________________________________________________


Author(s):  
Sunil Shah ◽  
Jose Augusto R. Simoes

Background: Under nutrition being a major problem in Nepal, it is necessary to meet the minimum dietary standard which is essential for growth and development of young children, so promotion of infant and young child feeding practices among children is important intervention.Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted among mothers of children of Bardia and Kailali districts of under 2 years and data was collected using the pre-tested questionnaire.Results: The study shows 30.3 percent of the mothers initiated breastfeeding within an hour of birth, 47.9 percent gave colostrums, 25.5 percent were practicing exclusive breastfeeding at 6 or more months,60 percent mothers fed anything else as prelacteal feed before breast feeding, 60 percent of mothers started complementary feeding between 3-6 months, 47.9 percent of mothers used anything from a bottle with a nipple yesterday or last night, 74.8 percent of mothers were currently breast feeding their children, 58 percent used iodized salt and 70.05 percent revealed that their child received Vit A within last six months.Conclusions: The present study showed that late initiation of breast feeding and practice of prelacteal feeds among home delivered mothers being high. The frequency of complementary feeding ranged was less and early/late weaning are still widely prevalent, use of bottle feeding is high, use of iodized salt is still low. There is a need to educate the mothers regarding proper infant/child feeding practices. 


Author(s):  
Christiana Naa Atsreh Nsiah-Asamoah

Aim: This study sought to explore the cultural factors that are associated with complementary feeding from the reports of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Volunteers (CHVs) in two rural districts in Ghana. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study that assessed cultural beliefs, norms, superstitions and practices that influence complementary feeding practices of young children under two years in two rural farming districts in Ghana Study Area: The study was conducted at Kwahu Afram Plains North and South Districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Methodology: The study employed qualitative methods which entailed conducting 9 focus group discussions among CHWs and CHVs working at two rural districts in Ghana. The focus group discussions were conducted with the aid of a validated, interview guide, after obtaining informed consent (written) from the health workers. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Boards of the Dodowa Health Research Centre and the University of Cape Coast. Thematic content analytical procedures were applied to analyze the transcripts, interpret and present findings as a narrative account. Results: The reports of the health workers indicate a common practice of early introduction of solid foods to infants before they attain six(6) months of age. Cultural beliefs, superstitions, beliefs, food taboos and prohibitions influence mothers’ complementary-feeding practices and result in limiting the food scope and dietary diversity of their young children. Conclusions: Interventions designed to promote appropriate complementary feeding practices should incorporate an understanding of social context, family, and cultural factors in developing nutrition promotion messages that are tailored to meet the needs of rural populations. More community interventions that draw on the support of key influential persons in the community and fathers are needed to address cultural barriers to appropriate complementary feeding practices.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Saizuddin ◽  
Md Shaidul Hasan

Background: Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices play vital role for the growth & development in the early months of life. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine and to identify the patterns and influencing factors of feeding practices in infant and young children of 0-2 years old in Bangladesh. Methodology: A descriptive type of cross sectional study was carried out to assess the pattern of infant & young child feeding practices by the rural mothers of Bangladesh with a sample size of 450 during the months of January to December of 2015.Result: Out of 450 children, 51.1% are female & 48.9% are male. The proportions of infants with early initiation of breastfeeding (13.6%) and exclusive breastfeeding fewer than six months (57.3%) and infants who received complementary feeding at the age of 6–8 months (55.7%) were low. It showed that 90.4% of mothers have knowledge on exclusive breast feeding but only 57.3% of them have practiced it for 4-6 months. It further revealed that only 8.4% of mothers & 13.6 % of fathers were illiterate. The main problems revealed from the study were late initiation of breastfeeding, low rates of exclusive breastfeeding, and inappropriate complementary feeding practices. It further revealed that 69.3% of the respondents had two or less children and 30.7% had three or more children.Conclusion: Majority of the respondents have the knowledge on complementary feeding, knowledge on preparation of complementary feeding, knowledge on preparation of food by grains, knowledge on preparation of food by milk and milk products and knowledge on preparation of food by meat, fish, poultry, liver.Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, 2016;2(1):19-25


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 2137
Author(s):  
Sowmya R. Nathan ◽  
Haleema Nuwera ◽  
Shyam Sudhir ◽  
Rasheena Shamshu

Background: The health of the child depends on the attainment of the nutritional requirements, which include breast-feeding followed by complementary feeding. The mother’s knowledge on complementary feeding is greatly relied upon health workers. Therefore it is important for the health workers to know the recommended practices for Infant and Young Child Feeding practices so that they can impart the same to mothers.Methods: Cross sectional hospital based questionnaire study conducted among 120 medical interns at Yenepoya Medical College Hospital, Mangalore. A score of more than 75% was considered good, 50 -74% moderate, and less than 50% as poor. Statistical Package of social science (SPSS) software was used for analysis of data.Results: Of the 110 respondents, majority of them (88.18%) of them agreed to initiate complementary feeding at 6 months. 82% of them responded that it should be initiated with rice/cereal-based diet. Of the 110 responded 87 of them agreed that for a 6–8 month old breastfed child the frequency of feeds needed to be at least 2 times or higher. Regarding the type of complementary feeding, 89.09% were aware that it should be started with mono-cereals.Conclusions: This study concluded that majority of the medical interns had a good knowledge on the recommended feeding practices for the infant and young child. There were very few medical interns who had to be informed regarding the correct infant and young child feeding practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 164-164
Author(s):  
Ana Moyeda Carabaza ◽  
Mary Murimi ◽  
Alemneh Kabeta Daba ◽  
Jessie Vipham

Abstract Objectives To determine complementary feeding practices (CFP) among 6-to-23-month-old children and to identify associations between maternal and household characteristics with CFP. Methods Cross-sectional study conducted among rural communities located within the Sidama and Oromia regions in Ethiopia. Pairs of mothers and their children (N = 190) were randomly selected to participate in the survey. Data was collected using the WHO Infant and Young Child Feeding indicators, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, and Knowledge on CFP. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze factors associated with CFP. Results Most (87.4%) of the children achieved minimum meal frequency, while only 27.4% achieved minimum dietary diversity (MDD) and 26.8% minimum acceptable diet (MAD). Majority (80%) of the households were food insecure, with 40% of the households reporting severe food insecurity. Half (50.0%) of participating mothers showed poor levels of knowledge on CFP. Children of employed mothers were more likely to meet MDD (P = .014) and achieve MAD (P = .034). Furthermore, children of mothers that had adequate knowledge on the recommended CFP were more likely to achieve MDD (P < .001) and MAD (P < .001). In contrast, children living in households with an estimated annual income lower than $254 dollars were less likely to achieve MDD (P < .05) and MAD (P < .05). Similarly, children living in households with moderate to severe levels of food insecurity were less likely to achieve MDD (P = .003 and P = .012, respectively) and MAD (P = .005 and P = .023, respectively). Conclusions Complementary feeding practices were suboptimal in the Sidama and Oromia region in Ethiopia. Low household income and food insecurity seem to hinder the achievement of MDD and MAD, while maternal employment and knowledge on CFP contributed to a diversified and adequate diet among children. Thus, policies and interventions that target poverty, food insecurity, maternal unemployment, and nutrition education are necessary for the improvement of CFP. Funding Sources United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Food Security as part of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhu G. N. ◽  
Harish S.

Background: Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is an evidence-based measure for improving child nutrition and child survival. After 6 months of exclusive breast feeding, introduction of appropriate complementary feeds is essential. To ensure desirable growth and development of children, complementary feeding should be timely, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate, safe and responsive. Objective of this study was to assess the complementary feeding practices among the mothers of children between 6 months and 1 year of age with respect to the time of introduction, quantity and quality.Methods: This is a hospital based cross sectional survey among the mothers of children aged 6 months to 2 years admitted in pediatric wards at KIMS Bangalore during a study period of 6 months. A predesigned questionnaire was used for the collection of data. Details including socio demographic profile of the family and feeding practices of the infant were collected in detail.Results: Out of the 200 participants, 59% were males. 74.5% of the respondent mothers were housewives. Complementary feeds were started at appropriate time in 64.5% of the cases. The feeds were adequate in amount and frequency in 34.5% of the children. Bottle feeding was noted in 33.5% of the cases. Conclusions: Apart from the timely introduction of complementary feeds to infants, emphasis also should be given to the adequacy and quality of the feeds with respect to nutrients. Health professionals should focus on counseling the mothers on appropriate complementary feeding during antenatal, delivery, postnatal, and immunization services.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia G Diamond-Smith ◽  
Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Dilys Walker ◽  
Lia Fernald ◽  
Purnima Menon ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: Breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices in India do not meet recommendations. Community health care workers (CHWs) are often the primary source of information for pregnant and postpartum women about Infant and Young child Feeding (IYCF) practices. While existing research has evaluated the effectiveness of content and delivery of information through CHWs, little is known about the quality of the interpersonal communication (respectful care). We analyzed the effect of respectful interactions on recommended IYCF practices. Methods: We use data from evaluation of an at-scale mHealth intervention in India that serves as a job aid to the CHWs (N=3,266 mothers of children <12m from 841 villages in 2 Indian states). The binary indicator variable for respectful care is constructed using a set of 7 questions related to trust, respect, friendliness during these interactions. The binary outcomes variables are exclusive breastfeeding, timely introduction of complimentary feeding, and minimum diet diversity for infants. We also explore if most of the pathway from respectful care to improved behaviors is through better recall of messages (mediation analysis). All models controlled for socio-economic-demographic characteristics and number of interactions with the CHW. Results: About half of women reported positive, respectful interactions with CHWs. More respectful interactions were associated with better recall of appropriate health messages. More respectful interactions were associated with a greater likelihood of adopting all child feeding behaviors except timely initiation of breastfeeding. After including recall in the model, the effect of respectful interactions alone reduced. Conclusions: Respectful care from CHWs appears to be significantly associated with some behaviors around infant feeding, with the primary pathway being through better recall of messages. Focusing on improving social and soft skills of CHWs that can translate into better CHW-beneficiary interactions can pay rich dividends.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244277
Author(s):  
Marga Fanta ◽  
Hirut Assaye Cherie

Background Appropriate complementary feeding has the potential to prevent 6 percent of all under five deaths particularly in developing countries. However, infant and young child feeding practices in Ethiopia are suboptimal. Data on complementary feeding practices in Horro district are also lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to determine magnitude and determinants of appropriate complementary feeding practice among mothers of children age 6–23 months in Horro district, Western Ethiopia. Methods Community based cross sectional study was conducted from February to March 2016 in six kebeles of Horro district, Western Ethiopia. A total of 325 mothers of children age 6–23 months were included in the study. Data were collected using pre-tested interviewer administered structured questionnaire; entered into EPI-INFO version 3.5.4 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Odds ratio was calculated with 95% CI to identify determinants of appropriate complementary feeding practice. P-values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results The magnitude of appropriate complementary feeding practice in the study area was 9.91%. Lower age of child (6-11months) [AOR: 0.195, 95% CI: (0.045–0.846)], having no formal education [AOR = 0.115:95% CI: (0.002, 0.290)] and giving birth for the first time [AOR = 0.271:95% CI: (0.011, 0.463)] were factors negatively associated with appropriate complementary feeding practice. Conclusion Only one tenth of mothers practiced appropriate complementary feeding. This strongly calls for sustained nutrition education targeting uneducated mothers, mothers who gave birth for the first time and those with very young children to improve the practice.


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