Exploring infant and young child-feeding practices among mothers of well-nourished children in northern Ghana: An INPreP substudy.

Abstract

This study investigated infant and young child-feeding (IYCF) practices among mothers of well-nourished children in northern Ghana. This was a qualitative study where in-depth individual interviews were conducted with participants. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and QSR Nvivo software version 11 was used to organize the data before thematic analysis. It was observed that mothers of well-nourished children were likely to adhere to breastfeeding guidelines and also practice appropriate complementary feeding. Furthermore, these mothers mostly had some form of support from their husbands and mother-in-laws in feeding their infants. While adoption and adherence to appropriate IYCF practices contribute to improved nutrition outcomes in children, social support systems are needed to sustain the practice.