Abstract: The objective of this study is to assess the influence of infant feeding practices on nutritional status of under-two children in Ibadan South-West local government area in Oyo state, Nigeria.
Method: Three hundred and ten mother-child pairs were recruited for the study from selected primary health-care centres in Ibadan South West local government Area. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-economic characteristics, the infant feeding practices of the children and their nutritional status. Nutritional assessment by WHO criterion (SD-classification) using summary indices of nutritional status: weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height was done. Normal test of proportion, Chi-square for testing association of nutritional status with different characteristics and risk analysis using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals was also done.
Results: Among the under-two surveyed, 29.4% were stunted, 7.4% were underweight 3.5% were wasted. Stunting was most prevalent (18.7%) among children aged 6-12 months. Deprivation of colostrum, non-exclusive breastfeeding and improper complementary feeding were found significant (P<0.05) risk factors for stunting, wasting and underweight.Conclusion: Improper complementary feeding, deprivation of colostrum, non-exclusive breastfeeding are significant risk factors for undernutrition among the under-two children. There is need to further promote the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and timely introduction of complementary foods among young mothers to improve the nutritional status of children.
Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, colostrum feeding, undernutrition
Title: INFLUENCE OF INFANT FEEDING PRACTICES ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF UNDER-TWO CHILDREN
Author: Oketunde, Fadekemi B.
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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