Complementary feeding practices of mothers and caregivers of under-fives in Sokoto, North-Western Nigeria

Background: Adequate complementary feeding entails feeding children aged between 6 and 23 months with foods from four or more food groups at least thrice a day. In introducing complementary feeds, mothers or caregivers adopt various feeding practices which may not comply with standards for optimal infant feeding. Objective: To assess the complementary feeding practices of mothers and caregivers in Sokoto, North-western Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of consenting mothers/caregivers selected through multistage random sampling. Data was obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire adapted from a WHO document on indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices, and was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: A total of 353 respondents with a mean (±SD) age of 28.8 ±6.1 years were interviewed. Most 330(93.5%) of the respondents were married and had ≥3 (77.9%) numbers of children. Most (50.7%) of the respondents had no formal education and majority (80.5%) were petty traders. They were mainly 180(51.0%) of low socio-economic status. Most 185(52.4%) of the respondents introduced complementary feeds (CF) before six months and mainly 182(53.1%) in the form of guinea corn gruel. Carbohydrate based feeds were the most 335(94.9%) consumed form of family diet. The minimum nutrient diversity and frequency were met in only 96(27.2%) and 217(61%) of the children, respectively. The minimum acceptable diet was unmet in the majority 285(80.7). Socio-economic class (p=0.002) and community setting (p=0.003) were associated with respondents feeding practices. Middle socio-economic class (p=0.009) and urban community setting (p=0.002) were independent predictors of timely initiation of CF. Conclusion: Majority of the respondents practiced early initiation of complementary feeds. The minimum acceptable diet was unmet in the majority of the children. Socio-economic class and community setting were associated with complementary feeding practices.