Abstract
Complementary foods fill the gap between the total nutritional needs of the child and the amounts provided by breast milk. Inappropriate feeding practices are a major cause of the onset of malnutrition in young children. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of mothers of children between 6 to 24 months of age regarding complementary feeding. This Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Study was conducted among 250 mothers in Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital from June 2019 to November 2019 after obtaining ethical approval from the institutional review committee (Ref no. 150320199). Convenient sampling method was applied. The mothers of children between 6 to 24 months were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to ascertain the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding complementary feeding. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Two hundred and fifty mothers were interviewed. 151 (60.4%) mothers knew initiation of breastfeeding soon after birth and 179 (71.6%) were knowledgeable about exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. 161 (64.4%) mothers knew the proper age of initiating complementary feeding but only 139 (55.6%) mothers practiced it. Early initiation of complementary feeding was done by 87 (34.8%) mothers while 24 (9.6%) mothers delayed it beyond 6 months. There was a gap in knowledge and practice among mothers regarding adequate age of initiation of complementary feeding, complementary foods, preparation, and practices.
Highlights
Complementary foods fill the gap between the total nutritional needs of the child and the amounts provided by breast milk
Children are highly susceptible to growth faltering, especially between 6 and 24 months of age when breast milk is replaced by low nutrient density foods
Data was collected after attaining informed consent from the mothers using a structured questionnaire to ascertain the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding complementary feeding
Summary
Complementary foods fill the gap between the total nutritional needs of the child and the amounts provided by breast milk. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of mothers of children between 6 to 24 months of age regarding complementary feeding. Complementary feeding (CF) is defined as the systematic process of the introduction of suitable food at the right time in addition to mother’s milk to provide needed nutrients to the baby. By 6 months of age, exclusive breastfeeding becomes insufficient to meet the energy and nutrient needs of the growing infant.[1,2]. Children are highly susceptible to growth faltering, especially between 6 and 24 months of age when breast milk is replaced by low nutrient density foods. For proper physical growth and neurocognitive development, complementary foods should be introduced timely, adequate in nutrition, appropriate in consistency, in sufficient quantity and hygienic.[4]
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