Infant and young child feeding in western Uganda: knowledge, practices and socio-economic correlates

In a cross-sectional household survey conducted in the rural district of Hoima, western Uganda, 720 child/mother pairs were recruited using a two-stage cluster design. Infant and young child feeding knowledge and practices were assessed in relation to recommendations and household socio-economic factors. Age specific feeding patterns were described using frequencies, proportions and life-tables. Logistic regressions were done with feeding practice as dependent and socio-economic factors as independent variables. Breastfeeding was universal (99%) with a median duration of 21 months. Pre-lacteal use was high (43%), with educated mothers more prone to the practice. Using a 24-hour recall: the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 3.5 months; 10% of infants were bottle-fed; 92% of the 0-5 month-old infants breastfed 6 or more times; 21% of 2-3 month-olds received complementary food instead of breast milk only and 19% of 6-8 month-olds were only breastfed instead of receiving complementary food. Of children 12 months and above, 42% were complemented twice or less and 49% complemented 3 or 4 times. Only 36% of breastfeeding children between 6-23 months received dairy milk. Over 50% of mothers did not know that adding oil to complementary food could improve it. The least poor were more likely, than the poorest, to use dairy milk (OR 3.9, CI 1.6-9.6); and educated mothers were more likely to prepare special complementary foods than the un-educated (OR 2.7, CI 1.1-6.2). Emphasis should be on promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, timeliness of complementary feeding and socio-economic empowerment.