Maternal awareness and complementary feeding practices among mothers of children aged 6–23 months attending the immunization clinic of a teaching institution in Bihar, India: A cross-sectional study
Vikash Kumar, Sonali Yadav, Setu Sinha, Sanjay Kumar
A
BSTRACT
Introduction:
Appropriate complementary feeding during 6–23 months of age is critical for child growth and development, yet feeding practices remain suboptimal in India, and evidence from Bihar is limited. This study assessed maternal awareness and complementary feeding practices among mothers of children aged 6–23 months attending the immunisation clinic of a teaching institution and examined factors associated with appropriate feeding.
Methods:
A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 290 mother-child pairs selected by systematic random sampling over six months. Data were collected using a pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire based on WHO/UNICEF infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators, with practices assessed by 24-hour dietary recall. Appropriate complementary feeding was defined as fulfilment of timely initiation, minimum dietary diversity, and minimum meal frequency. Multivariable logistic regression identified independent predictors.
Results:
Overall, 47.6% of mothers had adequate awareness, and 24.8% of children received appropriate complementary feeding. Timely initiation (59.3%) and minimum meal frequency (64.1%) were relatively satisfactory, whereas minimum dietary diversity (33.1%) and minimum acceptable diet (26.9%) were low. Maternal education at secondary level or above (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38–4.97) and adequate maternal awareness (AOR 3.86; 95% CI 2.05–7.27) were independently associated with appropriate feeding.
Conclusion:
Only one in four children received appropriate complementary feeding, with dietary diversity the weakest component of both awareness and practice. Integrating structured nutrition counselling, focused on dietary diversity, into routine immunization visits offers primary care providers a practical opportunity to improve feeding practices.