A Study of Complementry Feeding Practices amongst Mothers of Children Aged Six Months to Two Years Attending an Immunisation Clinic

Abstract

Introduction: Infant and young child feeding indicators have been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), to guide and monitor the feeding practices of young children. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breast feeding (EBF) for the first six months of life, with the addition of complementary feeds (CF) at six months with continued breast feeding until at least the age of two years. Study aimed to find out the complementary feeding practices amongst mothers of children aged six months to two years. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study of complementary feeding practices amongst mothers of children aged six months to two years in an urban setting. Therefore a total of 154 subjects were taken into the study. The study was conducted from Jan 2014-Sep 2015. Result: Among the studied children, 59.7% were males and 40.3% were females. Almost more than half of the children were in the age groups of more than 9 months and only 18.2% were in the age group 6-8 months. Conclusion: This study suggested that accurate information and education should be given to mothers and caregivers about appropriate breast-feeding and complementary feeding practices to prevent malnutrition and improve the health status of the children.