Patterns of cultural consensus and intracultural diversity in Ghanaian complementary feeding practices

Abstract

Designing effective interventions to improve infant and young child (IYC) feeding requires knowledge about determinants of current practices, including cultural factors. Current approaches to obtaining and using research on culture tend to assume cultural homogeneity within a population.The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of cultural consensus (homogeneity) in communities where interventions to improve IYC feeding practices are needed to address undernutrition during the period of complementary feeding. A second, related objective was to identify the nature of intracultural variation, if such variation was evident. Selected protocols from the Focused Ethnographic Study for Infant and Young Child Feeding Manual were administered to samples of key informants and caregivers in a peri-urban and a rural area in Brong-Ahafo, Ghana.Cultural domain analysis techniques (free listing, caregiver assessment of culturally significant dimensions, and food ratings on these dimensions), as well as open-ended questions with exploratory probing, were used to obtain data on beliefs and related practices. Results reveal generally high cultural consensus on the 5 dimensions that were assessed (healthiness, appeal, child acceptance, convenience, and modernity) for caregiver decisions and on their ratings of individual foods. However, thematic analysis of caregiver narratives indicates that the meanings and content of the constructs connoted by the dimensions differed widely among individual mothers. These findings suggest that research on cultural factors that affect IYC practices, particularly cultural beliefs, should consider the nature and extent of cultural consensus and intracultural diversity, rather than assuming cultural homogeneity. KEYWORDScaregiver beliefs, cultural domain analysis, cultural homogeneity, focused ethnographic study, Ghana, implementation research

Results of Applying Cultural Domain Analysis Techniques and Implications for the Design of Complementary Feeding Interventions in Northern Senegal

“…35,36 We have suggested previously that the degree and nature of intracultural diversity should be examined as part of implementation research to assist program development. 37 In developing the behavior change communication component to support IYC interventions for northern Senegal, further investigation is warranted to better understand the intracategory variation with respect to how caregivers perceive food clusters. Both the similarities and the differences in the clusters created by caregivers in Gaé and Didjiery can be harnessed to structure these messages.…”

Using cognitive mapping to understand Senegalese infant and young child feeding decisions

“…The markedly high rating of healthiness, compared to other factors, was nearly unanimous among mothers, and the primacy of the child's health was an underlying theme throughout the interviews. This finding indicates strong cultural consensus concerning the prioritization of health in IYCF decisions (Kalra et al, ; Pelto & Armar‐Klemseu, ).…”

Exploring the Influence of Social Norms on Complementary Feeding: A Scoping Review of Observational, Intervention, and Effectiveness Studies

“…Caregivers report basing CF food choices on perceptions of what is viewed as “healthy” in Ghana ( 40 )…”

“…Interviews of rural and peri-urban Ghanaian mothers found consensus on ranking healthiness as the most important factor in CF decisions and on many foods perceived as healthy ( 40 ). Interestingly, these caregivers of children aged 6–8 mo tended to think they fed different foods than others fed (i.e., that their practices differed from the norm), but this lessened as children began to eat more family foods.…”