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Adherence to different methods for introducing complementary food to 7-month-old babies: a randomized clinical trial
Paula Ruffoni Moreira1, Leandro Meirelles Nunes1, Renata Oliveira Neves1
1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Insights
A mixed approach to complementary feeding showed higher adherence in 7-month-old infants compared to Parent-Led Weaning (PLW) or Baby-Led Introduction to Solids (BLISS). Most infants not following PLW or BLISS transitioned to the mixed method.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
- Infant Feeding Practices
Background:
- Complementary feeding is a critical developmental stage for infants.
- Various methods exist for introducing solid foods, each with potential benefits and challenges.
- Understanding adherence to different feeding methods is crucial for guiding parents and optimizing infant nutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess and compare adherence rates to three distinct infant food introduction methods.
- To identify which method, if any, demonstrates superior adherence among caregivers of 7-month-old infants.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial involving mother-infant pairs introduced to feeding methods at 5.5 months.
- Intervention groups included Parent-Led Weaning (PLW), Baby-Led Introduction to Solids (BLISS), and a mixed method.
- Adherence was assessed at 7 months via blinded telephone interviews, with data analyzed using Chi-Square tests.
Main Results:
- Overall adherence was 43.2% across all methods.
- The mixed method exhibited the highest adherence rate (71.7%), followed by PLW (39.1%) and BLISS (19.2%) (p<0.001).
- Infants randomized to PLW or BLISS predominantly transitioned to the mixed method if they deviated from their assigned approach (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- A mixed approach to complementary feeding is associated with significantly greater adherence in 7-month-old infants.
- Caregiver adherence challenges with exclusive PLW or BLISS methods may lead to a natural shift towards a combined feeding strategy.
Objective:
To assess the adherence to three methods of food introduction for 7-month-old babies.
Methods:
This is a randomized clinical trial conducted with mother-infant pairs, submitted to the intervention with five and a half months of age and three different methods for food introduction according to randomization: Parent-Led Weaning (PLW), Baby-Led Introduction to SolidS (BLISS), or mixed (specially developed for this study). Adherence to the method was assessed at the seventh month of age, via telephone call to the caregiver by a researcher blinded to the method. The analyses were performed using the Chi-Square test and data are presented in absolute numbers and percentages.
Results:
A total of 139 mother-infant pairs were evaluated; 46 of them were allocated to the PLW method; 47, to the BLISS; and 46, to the mixed. At seven months of age, 60 (43.2%) mothers reported that the infants were following the proposed feeding method. When analyzing each approach, the mixed method showed a higher likelihood of adherence (71.7%, n=33), followed by the PLW method (39.1%, n=18) and by the BLISS (19.2%, n=9) (p<0.001). Among the sample that did not follow the proposed method, those that had been randomized to the PLW and BLISS methods mostly migrated to the mixed method (92.9%; n=26 and 92.1%; n=35, respectively) (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Complementary feeding in a mixed approach obtained greater adherence in 7-month-old babies.
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