Assessment of feeding practices and the nutritional status of
children aged 0 - 36 months in Yatta Division, Kitui district
By Maundu Joseph Mwanzia
Malnutrition is a multifaceted problem and among the underlying causes is infant and young
child feeding practices22.The low rate of exclusive breast feeding for six months is a contributor
to the future health status of children.
This is a cross sectional study aimed at establishing the relationship between infant and young
child feeding practices and maternal, child and households factors, and the nutritional status of
children aged 0-36 months in Yatta Division, Kitui District — Kenya. Information was collected
using structured questionare and focus group discussion guidelines, and included information on
socio demographic features, feeding practices and anthropometric measurements of the children.
A total of 340 mothers (with children aged 0 -36 months) were interviewed. Data was analyzed
using SPSS and CDC Anthro soft wares to determine relationship between feeding practices,
their determinants and nutritional status of children aged 0 — 36 months.
Majority of children 265(78%) were on mixed feeding, 20.2% were predominantly breast fed,
while only 6 (1.8%) were exclusively breast fed. Breast feeding initiation was done within an
hour after birth by 274 (80.7%) of mothers, and frequency of breast feeding depended on
demand. Child related factors associated with feeding practices were age of the child,
immunization status and attendance of growth monitoring clinics. Maternal factors associated
with feeding practices were age, parity and maternal access to information on feeding practices.
Morbidity status was not significantly (p=0.172) associated with feeding practices. It was also
established that, grand mothers and siblings were the principal alternative childcare givers.
In conclusion, the study established there is lack of nutritional knowledge on feeding practices
among the mothers. It was also established that, feeding practices of infant and young children
are associated with child, maternal and health workers factors. Morbidity status is not associated
with feeding practices and the nutritional status of children is not associated with feeding
practices.
It is recommended that, community nutrition strategy be established, headed by health workers
and all stakeholders in health sector, to promote proper feeding practices and improve the
welfare of mothers. This partnership would establish the missing nutritional knowledge, through
community based programmes headed by health workers and concerned stake holders, to create
awareness on infant and young child feeding practices. It is also recommended that, health
workers be updated by the relevant departments on infant feeding policy in order to update their
knowledge through continuous medical education. It is also recommended that future research in
this area should be conducted taking care of confounding effects.