Complementary feeding practices and nutritional status of young children in a community in Sokoto

Abstract

Background: Complementary feeding is the corner stone of child’s nutrition. Most malnourished children had their predicament originating from the period of transition from breast-feeding to family diet. Objectives: To determine the complementary feeding practices and nutritional status of young children in Gwiwa community. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Gwiwa community, Wam- makko LGA, Sokoto State between January and June, 2018. Three hundred and ten mothers with their children aged 6 – 36 months were interviewed using structured interviewer administered questionnaire and the children’s nutritional status was assessed using WHO classification of malnutrition. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22.0.A pvalue ≤0.05 was taken as significant Results: One hundred and forty (45.2%) respondents were aged 15 – 24years and 168(54.2%) were of low socio- economic class. There were 190 males and 120 females with 66 (21.3%) children exclusively breast fed for 6months. The mean age of cessation of breast feeding was 17.8 ±3.6 months. One hundred and sixty-nine (54.5%) children commenced complementary feeding at 6 - 8month of age with the mean age of 5.7(±2.6) months. One hundred and eighty- four (59.4%) used plain pap with 41.2% fed more than 3 times per day. Eighty – two (26.5%), 56(18.1%) and 76 (24.5%) children were under weight, wasted and stunted respectively. Conclusion: The complementary feeding practices were suboptimal in this community and might explain the poor nutritional status of their under fives. Efforts should be geared towards optimal complementary feeding practices in this community.

Keywords

• complementary
• feeding
• practice
• nutritional
• status
• under 5