Ghanaian Mothers' Complementary Feeding Practices and Perception on Children's Health

Abstract

Objectives: To understand factors that influence Ghanaian mothers' introduction and variety of complementary foods, and capture their perception of the implications of complementary foods on children's health, growth, and development.Methods: Ghanaian mothers (n=99) with children 4‐24 months of age from the Central Region of Ghana were recruited to participate. Eleven focus groups interviews were conducted and a participant demographic questionnaire was administered. A focus group guide was developed to ask mothers' opinions about their complementary feeding practices. Sessions were audio recorded, and transcribed. The transcriptions were coded and analyzed to identify themes, meta‐themes, and to generate theories.Results: Participants reported inappropriate complementary feeding practices: early introduction of solids, early cessation of breastfeeding, inappropriate cues of introducing solids, and inadequate frequency of offering complementary foods. Mothers stated factors that influenced complementary feeding: finances, time, moms' food preference, convenience, and beliefs. Finance was the major determinant to the food offered to their children, irrespective of the implication. Mothers' knowledge about food, child health, and growth outcomes motivated their feeding practices. However, motivation was affected by the lack of support from spouse, picky eating habits of children, and finances. While over 80% (85) of the moms reported some knowledge about the effects of complementary feeding, 45% (45) of the children were undernourished. Some mothers held misconceptions about the effect of food on children's health.Implications: Ghanaian mothers identified challenges and misconceptions in complementary feeding, indicating the need for nutrition education and support.