An exploration of complementary feeding of infants and young children in the rural area of Muhoroni, Nyanza province, Kenya: a descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate infant and young child feeding practices contribute to malnutrition, infection and long-term development limitation.

AIMS: To explore complementary feeding and food safety in Muhoroni District, Nyanza Province in rural Kenya.

OBJECTIVES: To compare practices with the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) guidelines, and identify associations with inappropriate practices.

METHODS: Between January and April 2014, a questionnaire completed by primary caregivers of children aged 6-23 months asked about foods the child had received in the previous 24 hours, the introduction of complementary foods, and the food hygiene practices undertaken by the caregiver. The most recent World Health Organization IYCF core indicators (continued breastfeeding at 1 year; minimum dietary diversity; minimum meal frequency; minimum acceptable diet) were determined for 400 children. These indicators were compared with demographic indicators in multivariate analyses to identify associations with appropriate complementary feeding practices.

RESULTS: A total of 55.2% of children aged 12-15 months continued to be breastfed at the time of questioning. Of the study population, 61.5% achieved minimum dietary diversity, 70.8% achieved minimum meal frequency and 43.0% achieved minimum acceptable diet. Older children were more likely to achieve minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet; however, they were also less likely to achieve minimum meal frequency. High levels of hygiene practices were reported in all areas of food safety.

CONCLUSION: Complementary feeding indicators were higher than nationally, although less than half of children (43.0%) were receiving a minimum acceptable diet. Further work should explore the potential relationship between age and adequate infant feeding.