Weaning in Butajira, south Ethiopia: a study on mothers' knowledge and practice

A descriptive cross sectional study on mothers' knowledge and practice related to weaning was conducted in Butajira in 1994. A total of 1,543 mother-child pair were included in the study, of which 1,052 (68%) children were on weaning diet and 491 (32%) were exclusively breast feeding. Among children who were already weaned, 40% were reported to have been started on weaning food at the age of 4-6 months. Of the children who were reported to be exclusively breast feeding, 34% were beyond the age of 7 months. The most commonly used weaning food were cow's milk, adult food, sorghum water and cereal gruel in descending order and the most important reasons for mothers to start weaning were reduction of the amount of breast milk and mothers' belief that the child is at the right age to start weaning food. The majority of the mothers used "swallow or suffocate" method in feeding their children, though cups and bottles were also mentioned as important feeding methods. The study demonstrated the presence of inappropriate weaning practice in the area which needs appropriate intervention.