Feeding Practices of Infants and Young Children in Pokhara Metropolitan City
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Varsha Manandhar1, Baidehi Upadhyaya1, Smriti Manandhar2
1Department of Community Medicine, Manipal College of Medical Sciences.
Insights
Infant feeding practices in Pokhara are inadequate, with only 32.3% of infants 0-5 months appropriately breastfed and 41.8% of 6-23 month olds having appropriate complementary feeding. Sociodemographic factors influence these critical child nutrition practices.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Appropriate feeding practices are crucial for normal child growth and development, particularly in the first two years of life.
- Sociodemographic factors significantly influence infant and young child feeding practices.
- This study investigated feeding practices in Pokhara Metropolitan City.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess infant and young child feeding practices in Pokhara Metropolitan City.
- To identify associations between feeding practices and sociodemographic factors.
Main Methods:
- A community-based cross-sectional study involving 280 mothers of children aged 0-23 months.
- Data collected via semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0.
- Binary logistic regression analysis employed to determine associations.
Main Results:
- Only 32.3% of infants aged 0-5 months had appropriate breastfeeding practices.
- 41.8% of children aged 6-23 months exhibited appropriate complementary feeding practices.
- Normal vaginal delivery, higher birth order, and nuclear family living were associated with appropriate feeding practices.
Conclusions:
- The majority of infant and young child feeding practices in Pokhara do not meet WHO and UNICEF standards.
- Interventions are needed to improve infant and child nutrition in the region.
Background:
For children to grow and develop normally, appropriate feeding practices are essential, especially in the first two years of their lives. These practices can vary depending on the different sociodemographic factors. This study aims to study the feeding practices of infants and young children in different wards of Pokhara Metropolitan City.
Methods:
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted and 280 mothers of infants and young children 0-23 months of age were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were entered and cleaned in Ms-Excel and then exported to SPSS version 21.0 for statistical analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to find the association of feeding practices with different independent variables.
Results:
Only 32.3% of children 0-5 months of age were found to be appropriately breastfed, and 41.8% of children 6-23 months of age were found to have appropriate complementary feeding practices. Children delivered by normal vaginal delivery (AOR 18.118, p < 0.01, 95% CI 3.831 - 85.689) were more likely to have appropriate breastfeeding practices than those delivered by caesarean section. Children of birth order two or more (AOR 2.226, p = 0.016, 95% CI 1.171 - 4.620) and living in nuclear families (AOR 2.488, p = 0.013, 95% CI 1.120 - 5.116) were found to have appropriate complementary feeding practices.
Conclusions:
This study concludes that the feeding practices of the majority of the infants and young children in Pokhara are not adequate as per the WHO and UNICEF standards.
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