Complementary feeding practices of children aged 6-23 months in Uganda: A case of acute severe malnutrition patients in Mulago National Referral Hospital

Abstract

The study involved investigation of complementary feeding practices of children aged 6-23 months old in Uganda. The purpose of the study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAPs) of mothers‟/caregivers‟ complementary for children and to determine the challenges faced by care takers during implementation of the recommended guidelines for complementary feeding. The study used cross sectional analytical design and targeted 79 caregivers/mothers with children 6-23 months old. Simple random sampling was used whereby every member had equal chances of being selected; the sampling frame included all caregivers of children from 6-23 months old. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information from the respondents. Most (54.4%) of the respondents knew the appropriate time of initiation of complementary feeding, only 27.8% of the children between 6-23 months attained the appropriate meal frequency, majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards complementary feeding. Complementary feeding was low in dietary diversity (25.3%) implying that many children ate foods from less than 4 food groups out of the 7 recommended groups. In conclusion. The study revealed that majority of the respondents had prior knowledge about complementary feeding practices but very few practiced it and most mothers/caregivers had a negative attitude towards complementary feeding. Therefore, the study recommends accurate complementary feeding education targeting behavioral change especially among young, single and uneducated mothers in developing countries reduce child morbidity and mortality