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Published on: September 22, 2023
Maternal feeding knowledge and practices as determinants of nutritional status in under-five children
Jeevitha Solur Venkatesh1, Meenal Kulkarni2, K Senthil Kumar3
1Department of Medicine, Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Science, Karnataka, India.
Insights
Maternal feeding practices significantly impact child growth in low-income countries. Improving maternal knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) is crucial for reducing under-five malnutrition and enhancing child anthropometric indicators.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
- Child Development
Background:
- Under-five malnutrition is a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries, leading to significant morbidity and growth impairment.
- Maternal factors, including knowledge, attitude, and feeding practices, are critical determinants of a child's nutritional status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate maternal knowledge, attitude, and feeding practices (KAP).
- To examine the association between maternal KAP and anthropometric indicators in children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Main Methods:
- A structured questionnaire assessed maternal KAP.
- Child nutritional status was determined using WHO-standardized weight-for-age, height-for-age, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC).
Main Results:
- Moderate maternal knowledge (53.3%) and practices (56.7%) were observed.
- Prevalence of underweight was 23.3%, stunting 20%, and wasting 13.3%.
- Maternal feeding practices showed significant positive correlations with weight-for-age (r=0.52), height-for-age (r=0.47), and MUAC (r=0.50).
Conclusions:
- Maternal feeding practices are strongly associated with child growth outcomes.
- Behavioral determinants, particularly maternal practices, play a vital role in mitigating under-five malnutrition.
Abstract:
Under-five malnutrition remains a persistent public health burden in low- and middle-income countries, contributing substantially to morbidity and impaired growth. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate maternal knowledge, attitude and feeding practices (KAP) and examined their association with anthropometric indicators among children aged 6 months to 5 years. Maternal KAP was assessed using a structured questionnaire and child nutritional status was determined using weight-for-age, height-for-age and mid-upper arm circumference based on WHO standards. Moderate knowledge (53.3%) and practices (56.7%) were observed, while 23.3% were underweight, 20% stunted and 13.3% wasted. Thus, maternal feeding practices demonstrated significant positive correlations with weight-for-age (r=0.52), height-for-age (r=0.47) and MUAC (r=0.50), indicating behavioral determinants strongly influence child growth outcomes.
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