A study on parental awareness about feeding practices in children between the age group of 12 to 24 months
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Keywords

Colostrum
Complementary feeding
Malnutrition
Breastfeeding

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition plays an integral part in growth and development of a child. Age-appropriate feeding is known to improve the child’s well-being and reduce the risk of specific diseases. The present study aimed to assess the awareness of parents regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.

METHODOLOGY: This health-based prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital enrolling 95 parents with children in the age group 1-2 years. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26 and Microsoft excel.

RESULTS: In the present study, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was 73.68 %. Eighty-six (90.53 %) parents initiated complementary feeds at 6 months. However, only 45.26 % of children were consuming adequate quantity of complementary foods. The association of child’s calorie consumption with maternal age and occupation was found to be statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Adequate nutrition during childhood and infancy is a key factor influencing growth and development. Globally, poor nutrition has always been one of the salient causes of under 5 mortalities. Appropriate breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices are essential to reduce the incidence of malnutrition worldwide.

https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2021.62.4.2287
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