Promoting weaning practices and growth of infants by using Communication for Behavioral Development approach: an Egyptian community-based modeling study (original) (raw)
Related papers
BMC Pediatrics
Background Access to various affordable and nutritious foods is considered a challenging factor for households with limited resources affecting the proper weaning practices. In order to motivate communities to adhere to the right and proper weaning practices, the social aspect should be considered through close communication with the targeted communities. This study aimed to evaluate how impactful the use of the principles of Communication for Development (C4D) that respect parents’ beliefs and their cultural norms is in improving the weaning practices and growth of infants in an Egyptian village. Methods An interventional three-phase study was conducted for three years. The intervention targeted 464 mothers of infants up to 2 years of age. C4D interventions encouraged each mother to provide her baby with nutritious and varied options through age-appropriate introduction and diversification of nutrient-rich complementary foods under the slogan “ enjoy meals like a baby”. The effecti...
PLOS ONE, 2020
Background Attaining the recommended level of adequacy of the infant's diet remains a serious challenge in most developing countries. Complementary foods, particularly in developing countries, are inadequate in quality and quantity that can result in adverse health and nutrition consequences in infants. This could be not only because of lack of food but also associated with caregiver's poor knowledge, harmful cultural norms and behaviors on infant feeding. The promotion of optimal complementary feeding through behavior change interventions is a global health priority. However, many of the interventions targeted only mothers/caregivers of infants, and studies that engaged other family members are limited worldwide. Moreover, such interventions are scarce in developing countries, including Ethiopia. This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of complementary feeding behavior change communication delivered through community-level actors on the dietary adequacy of infants. Methods We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural communities of West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Trial participants in the intervention clusters received complementary feeding behavior change communication for 9 months whereas those in the control clusters received only the usual care. Trained women development army leaders delivered the intervention. A pre-tested, structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Generalized estimating equations regression analyses adjusted for baseline covariates and clustering were used to test the intervention effects.
International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 2024
Introduction: Complementary feeding represents a crucial phase in an infant's developmental journey. Inadequate implementation, marked by an imbalance in both quantity and quality, can lead to varying degrees of nutritional disorders, whether from excess or deficiency. Study Objectives and Methods: Conducted from December 2023 to February 2024, this research aims to assess the weaning age and the age of initiating dietary diversification among Moroccan infants. Additionally, it seeks to scrutinize specific nutritional practices and behaviors within the Moroccan infant population. Our methodology involved an extensive bibliographic search using databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar, focusing on research conducted in Morocco from 2005 to 2020. Variables examined include the prevalence of breastfeeding at six months, the age of weaning, the commencement of dietary diversification at six months, and the prevalence of advice from healthcare professionals, particularly nursing experts, provided to Moroccan mothers. Results and Discussion: Complementary feeding practices in Morocco navigate the intersection of maternal nutritional beliefs and a plethora of infant feeding concepts, resulting in a complex landscape. The crucial role of medical and nursing personnel in conveying appropriate information and advice to Moroccan mothers is highlighted. Conclusion: Complementary feeding is a pivotal milestone in infant nutrition, necessitating adjustments and updates in Moroccan practices. The active involvement of medical and nursing personnel is essential to ensure optimal weight development and prevent infant nutritional disorders. Impact and Contribution of Patient or Public: Emphasizing the importance of the results in positively influencing infant feeding practices in Morocco, with a focus on the crucial role played by medical and nursing personnel in promoting infant health.
Selected Complementary Feeding Practices and Their Association With Maternal Education
PEDIATRICS, 2008
As infants transition from a milk-based diet to one that includes most food groups, the timing of the transition, how infants are fed, and the quality of their diet can have important health implications. Our objective is to describe these factors for US infants. We analyzed data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II. Sample sizes varied for relevant questions from approximately 1600 to approximately 2400. We analyzed the prevalence of 14 feeding practices and their association with the mothers' education and also examined participants' use of commercial baby foods. Approximately 21% of the mothers introduced solid foods before 4 months; 7% introduced solids after 6 months. Twenty-nine percent of the mothers introduced > 3 new foods per week to infants aged 5 to 10 months. Approximately 20% of the mothers fed juice before 6 months, fed cow's milk before 12 months, and fed infants < 5 times per day after 5 months. Fourteen percent of the mothers chewed food for their infant. Approximately 15% of the mothers fed < 1 serving daily of either a fruit or vegetable to infants aged > or = 9 months, half added salt to their infant's food, and more than one third who added salt used noniodized salt. Approximately 20% fed reduced-fat cow's milk at 1 year. Almost half of the 10-month-old infants had eaten restaurant food in a restaurant in the previous week, 22% had eaten carry-out food, and 28% had eaten either type of restaurant food > or = 2 times. The prevalence of 8 of the 14 unhealthful infant feeding practices we examined was inversely associated with maternal education. Nutrition and feeding guidance should be especially targeted to mothers with a high school education or less.
Background: Lack of awareness of mothers on the nutrition of infants' is a major cause of malnutrition. Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the effect of training mothers about complementary feeding on the growth indicators of 4 to 8 month-old infants in Dezful. Materials and Methods: This semi experimental enrolled 270 infants and their mothers from healthcare centers in Dezful, in 2015. The mothers were randomly assigned to intervention [n=135] and control [n=135] groups. Participants in the intervention group in three one-hour sessions received training programs on process of complementary feeding, familiarizing with growth and growth curves. The control group received none training programs. Anthropometric measures [body weight, height and head circumference] were assessed at baseline and after three months. Data were analyzed using paired and unpaired t-test with p≤0.05. Results: A percentage of 46.4% of mothers in the intervention group and 42.4% of mothers in the control group fall within the age range of 25 to 35 years. Similarly, loss to follow up was observed in the two studied groups [10 participants]. Compared with baseline, the body weight, height and head circumference increased more in the intervention group than in the control group, but changes were statistically significant for body weight and height [p≤0.05]. Conclusion: The findings of the current study suggest that training programs can result in an increase in body weight and height but not head circumference. Therefore, it is recommended that educational programs should be allocated in healthcare centers to increase growth indicators and improve the health of children.
International Journal of Advanced Community Medicine
To promote complementary feeding (CF) practices and to improve the physical growth of children less than 2 years of age through, counseling mothers and the family members. Methods: A community based cluster randomized controlled trial (CRT) was conducted in Udupi taluk. All the pregnant mothers registered during the third trimester and the newborn children followed until 2 years of age in the selected Anganwadi (AW) centers. Home based counseling was provided to the family at different points of time. Counseling was based on continuation of breastfeeding, complementary feeding and different types of foods, optimal feeding, hygiene and care of sick child. All the newborns were followed until 2 year of age. Results: Baseline characteristics of the subjects found to be similar in both the groups. The baseline knowledge assessed on a 15-point scale, the mean score in both groups was very much similar. Mean measured weight increased significantly in the intervention group (0.794 kg, p<0.002) at 24 months of age. The mean age of introducing CF, intake of total quantity of food in the form of energy and protein (p<0.001) was significantly high in intervention group compared to control group during the second year of life. Conclusion: The study findings clearly show that family level counseling does improve the feeding practices and nutritional status of children less than 2 years of age.
BMC Public Health, 2011
Background: Childhood undernutrition is prevalent in low and middle income countries. It is an important indirect cause of child mortality in these countries. According to an estimate, stunting (height for age Z score < -2) and wasting (weight for height Z score < -2) along with intrauterine growth restriction are responsible for about 2.1 million deaths worldwide in children < 5 years of age. This comprises 21 % of all deaths in this age group worldwide. The incidence of stunting is the highest in the first two years of life especially after six months of life when exclusive breastfeeding alone cannot fulfill the energy needs of a rapidly growing child. Complementary feeding for an infant refers to timely introduction of safe and nutritional foods in addition to breast-feeding (BF) i.e. clean and nutritionally rich additional foods introduced at about six months of infant age. Complementary feeding strategies encompass a wide variety of interventions designed to improve not only the quality and quantity of these foods but also improve the feeding behaviors. In this review, we evaluated the effectiveness of two most commonly applied strategies of complementary feeding i.e. timely provision of appropriate complementary foods (± nutritional counseling) and education to mothers about practices of complementary feeding on growth.
Complementary feeding practices among infants and young children in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
BMC Public Health
Background Optimal complementary feeding (CF) promotes health and supports growth and development in children. While suboptimal feeding practices are reported for many countries, very limited information exists about such practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The present study describes CF practices in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and evaluates them using the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Programming Guide: Infant and Young Child Feeding. Methods In this cross-sectional study, participating mothers of children below the age of two reported on their children’s CF introduction and practices via a structured questionnaire. The study received ethical approval (ZU17_006_F) from Zayed University. Results Out of 1822 participating mothers, 938 had initiated complementary feeding for their children, who had a mean age of 7.1 ± 5.9 months. Three quarters of the children (72.2%) were introduced to CF in a timely manner between the ages of 6 and 9 months. A majority (71.4%) consumed ≥4 foo...