Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction. Nutritional deficiency due to an unbalanced diet is one of the most important factors contributing to stunting or the development of comorbidities in infants. Poverty, lack of knowledge about complementary feeding (CF) schedules, or lack of information accessibility are among the majo...

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Main Authors: Rocío Lara, Katherine García, Luz Valencia, Alfonso Silva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia Española de Nutrición y Dietética 2024-12-01
Series:Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética
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Online Access:https://renhyd.org/renhyd/article/view/2200
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author Rocío Lara
Katherine García
Luz Valencia
Alfonso Silva
author_facet Rocío Lara
Katherine García
Luz Valencia
Alfonso Silva
author_sort Rocío Lara
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. Nutritional deficiency due to an unbalanced diet is one of the most important factors contributing to stunting or the development of comorbidities in infants. Poverty, lack of knowledge about complementary feeding (CF) schedules, or lack of information accessibility are among the major causes that affect nutritional status. Our objective was to investigate the association of caregivers' knowledges, attitudes, and CF practices with the nutritional status of children aged 6 to 23 months attending the Camilo Ponce Enriquez Health Center from October to December 2022. Methods: An observational study was conducted. Information from caregivers of 137 children aged from 6 to 23 months (mean age 12.66 ± 5.00, 51.82% female) was analyzed. The data collection process was carried out through the application of the KAP survey of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which first includes a socio-demographic survey consisting of 10 questions, 7 of which obtain information from the caregiver and 3 oriented to obtain data from the child. Informed consensus was obtained previous to the survey application. Information on the nutritional status was obtained from the medical history data provided by the nursing department. Pearson's Chi-squared test was applied to establish whether or not there was an association between the nutritional variables. Results: 55.96% of caregivers had appropriate CF practices. Meanwhile, 77.89% and 77.55% had adequate knowledge and attitudes about CF. A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was found between nutritional diagnosis and maternal CF knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Conclusions: The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the target population reached a moderate level, laying the foundation for the study of risk factors, as well as educational strategies to prevent malnutrition.
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spelling doaj-art-b161d98879ef4c0f88925c6851ac27e32024-12-07T12:28:54ZengAcademia Española de Nutrición y DietéticaRevista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética2173-12922174-51452024-12-0110.14306/renhyd.28.4.2200Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.Rocío Lara0Katherine García1Luz Valencia2Alfonso Silva3Mount Sinai General Hospital, Nutrition Services. Casuarina Ave., Km 7, Guayaquil, EcuadorPrivate Nutrition Counseling Services. Guayaquil, EcuadorFaculty of Life Sciences, ESPOL Polytechnic University, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Guayaquil, EcuadorFaculty of Life Sciences, ESPOL Polytechnic University, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Guayaquil, Ecuador Introduction. Nutritional deficiency due to an unbalanced diet is one of the most important factors contributing to stunting or the development of comorbidities in infants. Poverty, lack of knowledge about complementary feeding (CF) schedules, or lack of information accessibility are among the major causes that affect nutritional status. Our objective was to investigate the association of caregivers' knowledges, attitudes, and CF practices with the nutritional status of children aged 6 to 23 months attending the Camilo Ponce Enriquez Health Center from October to December 2022. Methods: An observational study was conducted. Information from caregivers of 137 children aged from 6 to 23 months (mean age 12.66 ± 5.00, 51.82% female) was analyzed. The data collection process was carried out through the application of the KAP survey of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which first includes a socio-demographic survey consisting of 10 questions, 7 of which obtain information from the caregiver and 3 oriented to obtain data from the child. Informed consensus was obtained previous to the survey application. Information on the nutritional status was obtained from the medical history data provided by the nursing department. Pearson's Chi-squared test was applied to establish whether or not there was an association between the nutritional variables. Results: 55.96% of caregivers had appropriate CF practices. Meanwhile, 77.89% and 77.55% had adequate knowledge and attitudes about CF. A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was found between nutritional diagnosis and maternal CF knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Conclusions: The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the target population reached a moderate level, laying the foundation for the study of risk factors, as well as educational strategies to prevent malnutrition. https://renhyd.org/renhyd/article/view/2200Eating habitsnutritional statusMalnutritionChildrenComplementary feeding
spellingShingle Rocío Lara
Katherine García
Luz Valencia
Alfonso Silva
Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.
Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética
Eating habits
nutritional status
Malnutrition
Children
Complementary feeding
title Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.
title_full Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.
title_fullStr Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.
title_full_unstemmed Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.
title_short Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of Ecuador: A cross-sectional study.
title_sort study of knowledge attitudes and practices of complementary feeding among caregivers of children from 6 to 23 months of age from a rural community of ecuador a cross sectional study
topic Eating habits
nutritional status
Malnutrition
Children
Complementary feeding
url https://renhyd.org/renhyd/article/view/2200
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