Sociodemographic factors associated with mixed-feeding practices among a cohort of mothers with infants aged 4 - 14 weeks in Tlokwe subdistrict, North West Province, South Africa

Background. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of an infant's life is the recommended gold standard for infant feeding; however, mixed feeding (MF) is common in various settings. In South Africa (SA), especially in the Tlokwe subdistrict of North West Province, there is little information on the association between sociodemographic factors and infant MF practices.Objective. To identify the sociodemographic factors associated with MF practices in a cohort of mothers of infants aged 4 - 14 weeks in the Tlokwe subdistrict of North West.Methods. The study setting was 8 health facilities in the Tlokwe subdistrict. Participants comprised postpartum women with infants aged 4 - 14 weeks. Data analysis used SPSS version 25.0. Normal data are presented as means (standard deviation (SD)), skewed data as median values (25th, 75th percentiles) and categorical values as percentages and frequencies.Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysed the association between sociodemographic factors and MF practices at time point 2 (10 - 14 weeks).Results. The majority of the mothers were aged between 25 and 29 years, and 37% had at least 2 live children. MF increased with infant age. There was no significant association between any of the sociodemographic variables and MF practices. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between increased parity and MF. There was also a significant association between changes in infant-feeding practices after receiving the child support grant at 10 - 14 weeks. Conclusion. The high proportion of mothers who mixed-fed indicates that it is still the norm, as in other SA contexts. Therefore, strengthened breastfeeding education regarding appropriate infant-feeding choices in the promotion of infant development and survival for the short and long term should be emphasised. S Afr J Child Health 2022;16(4):192-197. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAJCH.2022.v16.i4.1808Sociodemographic factors associated with mixed-feeding practices among a cohort of mothers with infants aged 4 - 14 weeks in Tlokwe subdistrict, North West Province, South Africa N M Semenekane,1 MSc (Nutrition); C B Witten,1,2 PhD (Nutrition); E Swanepoel,3 MSc (Dietetics);H S Kruger,1 PhD Nutrition 1 Centre of Excellence for Nutrition, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa2 Division of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa3 School of Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Community-Based Agricultural Interventions in the Context of Food and Nutrition Security in South Africa

Despite South Africa being a food-secure country in terms of aggregate food availability; it is listed by the World Health Organization as one of 36 high-burden countries; home to large numbers of stunted children. Recent findings; in the context of both over- and under-nutrition; have indicated that adult and child malnutrition rates have deteriorated in South Africa. The complementarities and synergies between food availability; access and utilisation need to be aligned in interventions used to address and strengthen food and nutrition security. This is particularly pertinent in the context of the widespread AIDS epidemic which interacts with food insecurity in complex ways. It is against this backdrop that home-grown or small-scale food production is explored as a feasible contributor to food and nutrition security for the rural poor with particular emphasis on contextual and technical factors. By illustrating a few successful models of home gardening;the evidence for addressing micronutrient deficiencies in these types of interventions is presented. The challenges to establish sustainable home gardening practices and the efforts needed to address gender-distinctive issues are discussed. The case is made for community-based agricultural interventions as a critical component of the various interventions used to address food and nutrition security at the household level