Abstract
Poor complementary feeding contributes to the characteristic negative growth trends leading to death as well. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess complementary feeding practices and associated factors in the selected urban area of Nepal. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 237 mothers having children aged 6-23 months in Bhaktapur Municipality. Pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data using a face-to-face interview. Data were entered in Excel followed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to determine the feeding practices of infants as per WHO recommendation. Out of the 237 children, 54.8% were boys and 42.2% were girls. In this study 61% were breastfed within 1 hour of birth, 33% were given pre-lacteal feeding, 19% were given complementary feed on time, 55.3% had good minimum meal frequency, and 47.70% were given minimum number of food groups and 26.5% were practicing good minimum acceptable diet. Total Kcal intake supplied is equal to WHO recommended standard however, triggering 84% of participants included processed food as a part of complementary feeding which is never the good practice. The majority of mothers lack the knowledge regarding ideal feeding practices as calorie intake was equal to WHO recommendation. There was a gap in knowledge and practice regarding duration of exclusive breastfeeding and initiation and continuation of ideal complementary feeding. The rate of complementary feeding was found on declining trend. Emphasis given to educate mothers about complementary feeding practices can be very useful for the purpose.
Highlights
World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) define complementary feeding as the process of starting solid, semi-solid or other food to the child along with breastfeeding when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants [1]
A proper complementary feeding consists of foods that are rich in energy and in micronutrients, free from contamination, without much of salt or spices, easy to eat and accepted by the infant, in an appropriate amount, easy to prepare from family foods, and at a cost that is acceptable by most families [6]
Fig-1 illustrates the initiation of complementary feeding reflecting a worst-case scenario for the city
Summary
WHO and UNICEF define complementary feeding as the process of starting solid, semi-solid or other food to the child along with breastfeeding when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants [1]. Any non-breast milk, foods or nutritive liquids that are fed to young children after six months of age are defined as complementary foods. It is the transition of baby food from exclusive breastfeeding to family foods, with gradually increasing the amount of food from 6 to 24 months [4]. The amount of food is increased gradually from 6 to 23 months, which is the period of transition to eating the regular family diet. Feeding practices not meeting the need and requirements of children increases the risk of becoming undernourished and other health consequences even leading to death [3,9,10]
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