Socioeconomic background and feeding practices of families with severely malnourished children

A total of 58 mothers and 2 guardians whose children were admitted with severe malnutrition at the Mitundu Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre were interviewed to identify the socioeconomic background and feeding practices. 80 percent of the families depended solely on farming for food and income. 57 percent of the mothers were illiterate; 42 percent of the mothers had polygamous husbands. 40 percent of the children were completely weaned before 12 months of age and a total of 76 percent of the mothers used harsh methods for weaning their children. Inappropriate weaning methods appear to be an important cause of childhood malnutrition