Complementary feeding practices among mothers having children less than two years old attending well-baby clinics in Jazan City, Saudi Arabia.

Publisher: African Field Epidemiology Network Country of Publication: Uganda NLM ID: 101517926 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1937-8688 (Electronic) NLM ISO Abbreviation: Pan Afr Med J Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Kampala, Uganda : African Field Epidemiology Network

Mothers* ; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena*; Infant ; Female ; Humans ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Saudi Arabia ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Breast Feeding

Introduction: infant feeding practices are important determinants of growth and development not only in infancy but also in later life. The main objective of this study is to describe infant feeding practices and the factors affecting complementary feeding (CF) among mothers in Jazan City.
Methods: an observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 mothers having children less than 24 months old, attending the well-baby clinics in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) in Jazan City, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data in a face-to-face interview.
Results: on the mother's level of knowledge regarding proper infant feeding, 49% scored high, 41% scored medium, and 9.75% scored low. The mother's educational level, working status, family income, and knowledge source played a significant role in the knowledge scores (p < 0.05 for all). Overall, 15.8% of the mothers never breastfed (BF) their children, 39.8% BF less than six months, 17.5% BF 6-12 months, and 27% BF over 12 months. Breastfeeding feeding (BF) duration is significantly associated with maternal literacy and family income (p = 0.006 for both). Overall, approximately one-third of the women (36.2%) started CF at six months or later, while 63.8% started CF at 4-6 months.
Conclusion: Jazan women use some positive infant feeding practices, including breastfeeding. One-third of the women started CF at six months or later, which is considered the optimal time for the CF introduction. More nutrition education is necessary to raise maternal awareness regarding appropriate infant feeding and weaning practices.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(Copyright: Aisha Awaf et al.)

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Keywords: Infant; breastfeeding; feeding practices; knowledge

Date Created: 20230814 Date Completed: 20230815 Latest Revision: 20230815

20230815

PMC10422035

10.11604/pamj.2023.45.45.35451

37575523