Mothers’ feeding practices and nutritional status of infants in a rural community in Kano state north-west Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Age-appropriate infant feeding practice, a major determinant of child growth, development, and survival remains suboptimal in many developing countries. Objectives: This study determined the mother’s nutritional knowledge, infant feeding practices, nutritional status of their infant, and factors associated with infant feeding practice in a rural community in Kano state. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design with a mixed method approach, data were collected from mothers and their infants in selected communities in Madobi, one of the rural local government area in Kano state. Quantitative data were collected with a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 440 mothers and their infants while qualitative data collection was done using a focus group discussion (FGD) guide with ten participants in each group. Anthropometric indices were used to determine the children’s nutritional status. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software (version 21), while thematic analysis was used to summarize data from the FGDs. Results: Majority of the mothers (78.0%) had adequate knowledge of infant feeding practices. Few (8.9%) of the mothers breastfed exclusively and many (90.8%) of the mothers introduced complementary foods to their infants before six months of age. The prevalence of wasting and stunting among infants was 49.6% and 43.0%, respectively. After bivariate analysis, logistic regression was done, secondary/tertiary education and delivery in the hospital remained predictors of good infant feeding practices. Conclusion: Although, majority of the caregivers had adequate knowledge of infant feeding it was not translated to good practice and thus nutritional status was poor. Efforts should be made to improve girl child education and develop sustainable strategies to improve feeding practices and nutritional status of children.