Patterns in Mothers’ Recollection of Health Care Providers’ Young Child Feeding Recommendations

Abstract

ObjectiveCharacterize feeding guidance mothers recall receiving from their child's health care provider (HCP). DesignCross-sectional study of mothers participating in the 2017–2019 National Survey of Family Growth. ParticipantsUS mothers reporting (n = 1,302) information about their youngest child (aged 6 months to 5 years). Variables MeasuredWeighted percentage of mothers who recalled their child's HCP discussing 6 different feeding topics by demographic characteristics. AnalysisLogistic regression assessing the relationship between recall of feeding guidance and demographics. ResultsIn this sample, 36.9% of mothers (95% confidence interval, 32.3–41.4) recalled HCPs recommending solid food before 6 months old (34.6% at 4–5 months, and 2.3% before 4 months). Mothers who were older or had a higher education level were more likely than their counterparts to recall their HCP discussing several of the feeding topics examined. Conclusion and ImplicationsMothers reported high recollection of early childhood nutrition guidance from their HCP; however, certain topics (eg, appropriate timing of solid food introduction) could be prioritized, and some subpopulations may need additional focus to improve receipt of messages. A better understanding of variability in recall of feeding guidance could provide information for interventions to address barriers to receiving and retaining guidance.