Assessment of the Infant Feeding Age 1 to 12 Months in a Hospital Setting in Antananarivo

Abstract

Introduction In developing countries such as Madagascar, malnutrition remains a major public health problem. Our objective was to study the feeding of infants aged 1 to 12 months, passing through the pediatric ward of the Joseph Raseta Befelatanana University Hospital Center. Methods We conducted a prospective cross-sectional survey based on interviews with mothers of visiting or hospitalized children over a period of 3 months. Results One hundred mothers were interviewed; 46 of the babies were less than 6 months old. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding for children under 6 months of age is 83%. During diversification, the socio-economic level is the most discriminated factor causing errors with a p < 0.01845 for vegetable intake and p < 0.02419 for meat intake. It was mainly the error in oil or butter intake that was correlated with poor nutritional status of children during the diversification period with a p < 0.0077. Conclusion Many of the errors found during diversification affected the nutritional status of children. A nutritional education adapted to the Malagasy context would be essential.