Complementary Feeding Habits in Children Under the Age of 2 Years Living in the City of Adama in the Oromia Region in Central Ethiopia: Traditional Ethiopian Food Study

Abstract

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Updated information on child feeding practices, nutritional status, and trends related to parental sociodemographic variables is required in developing countries. The objective of this study was to describe infant feeding practices and associated sociodemographic factors among Ethiopian children with an emphasis on complementary feeding (CF). Information on infant feeding and anthropometric measures was obtained from 1,054 mother-child pairs participating in a birth cohort study of children born between 2017 and 2020 prospectively followed in the city of Adama located in the Oromia region of central Ethiopia. Logistic regression models were used to identify sociodemographic and food groups associated with the initiation of CF. The introduction of complementary foods at 6 months of age was 84.7% (95% CI, 82.5, 86.8). Vegetables, cereals (teff, wheat, barley), and fruits were most often the earliest types of foods introduced. Wasting, stunting, underweight, and low body mass index (BMI) by age were found in 6.0, 16.9, 2.5, and 6.3%, respectively. Maternal age and occupation were the factors associated with timely initiation of CF [OR = 2.25, (95% CI, 1.14, 4.41)] and [OR = 0.68, (95% CI, 0.48, 0.97)], respectively. This study demonstrates that the majority of Ethiopian children in the Oromia region follow the recommendations of WHO on CF.

Keywords

• children
• complementary feeding
• Ethiopia
• gluten
• malnutrition
• teff