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 havebeen developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), toguide and monitor the feeding practices of young children. TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusivebreast feeding (EBF) for the first six months of life, with theaddition of complementary feeds (CF) at six months withcontinued breast feeding until at least the age of two years.Study aimed to find out the complementary feeding practicesamongst mothers of children aged six months to two years.Material and Methods: A cross sectional study ofcomplementary feeding practices amongst mothers of childrenaged six months to two years in an urban setting. Therefore atotal of 154 subjects were taken into the study. The study wasconducted from Jan 2014 – Sep 2015.Result: Among the studied children, 59.7% were males and40.3% were females. Almost more than half of the childrenwere 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 informationand education should be given to mothers and caregiversabout appropriate breast-feeding and complementary feedingpractices to prevent malnutrition and improve the health statusof the children