Effect of paternal education about complementary feeding of infants in Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract

Improved health of infants is dependent on the supportive role of the fathers. There is limited research done in Kenya on father involvement and how it affects feeding practices of the infant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact on complementary feeding practice of nutrition education targeted to the father. A randomized control trial was conducted with 290 father-mother pairs recruited into the study. The mothers, who were six months pregnant and receiving antenatal services at Kisumu County Hospital, provided the contact point for recruitment of the fathers who were engaged in this study. The consenting mothers provided information of the 'expectant father' who were later contacted and invited to go to the hospital together with the mother. Consent was obtained from the study participants in a written form. Randomization was done to the father-mother pairs and eventually, each group had 145 pairs. The pairs in the intervention group were educated on complementary feeding while the other pairs in the control group did not get any intervention. Post-natal, feeding on solids and semi-solids of the infants were assessed at six months and at nine months of age. Qualitative assessment through focus group discussions were done to obtain information on fathers' support towards complementary feeding. Overall analysis was done on 278 pairs with 12 lost to follow up. Introduction to solids and semi-solids had been done by a majority (96.7%) by six months of the infant's age in both groups. Solid and semi-solid foods were introduced significantly earlier in the control group and compared to the intervention group (chi-square test; p<0.01). Minimum acceptable diet was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group (chi-square test; p<0.01). In conclusion, giving fathers information on complementary feeding influences their support towards infant feeding, resulting in positive outcomes in complementary feeding practices.

Review of the Nutrition Situation in Jordan: Trends and Way Forward

“…It is also important to incorporate community initiatives to address the challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers after their discharge from the hospital and throughout their second year postpartum [ 72 ]. As means of enhancing complementary feeding practices, it is crucial to design culture-specific nutrition awareness campaigns and education programs targeting all caregivers including fathers and grandparents, not just mothers, with emphasis on the less educated [ 81 , 84 , 133 ]. Moreover, the living conditions, food availability, and food security status among vulnerable populations and individuals residing in remote areas need to be improved to help enhance the diets of infants and young children [ 81 ].…”

Engaging fathers to improve complementary feeding is acceptable and feasible in the Lake Zone, Tanzania

“…Reaching mothers and fathers through home visits has been used elsewhere Salasibew et al, 2019). Other approaches to engage fathers in complementary feeding or maternal and child nutrition broadly, include counselling couples together at health facilities (Dinga et al, 2018), community-based fathers' groups (Mukuria et al, 2016), and support groups that bring family members together with other families DeLorme et al, 2018).…”

“…In recognition of this influence, global guidance recommends including fathers in complementary feeding counselling and social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) activities (UNICEF, 2020). There is growing evidence that counselling and SBCC activities that engage fathers are associated with improved complementary feeding practices (Dinga et al, 2018;Hoddinott et al, 2018;Menon et al, 2016;Mukuria et al, 2016), but limited examples that directly assess the impact of father engagement (Martin et al, 2020). Designing programs for fathers that include specific, tailored recommendations is recommended to improve complementary feeding (Pelto & Armar-Klemesu, 2015;Sanghvi et al, 2014).…”

“…Quantitative intervention studies tend to focus on maternal reports of father support or fathers' knowledge and practices. Qualitative studies have reported on fathers' increased knowledge of complementary feeding (DeLorme et al, 2018;Downs et al, 2019), father involvement in decision making (Dinga et al, 2018), participatory methods to involve fathers in child care and perceptions of masculinity and willingness to change gender norms and roles around child care (Bezner Kerr, Chilanga, et al, 2016). However, less is known about fathers' reactions to complementary feeding recommendations or their experiences supporting or practicing these recommendations.…”