Abstract

PIP: During 1985-1986 in India, health workers went to the homes of 200 infants, 1-11 months old at the time they were brought into the study, and followed them until they reached one year. The researchers aimed to evaluate the role of weaning in determining the nutritional status of infants as well as to identify the sociocultural factors affecting weaning practices in the rural area near Aligarh. 99% of the infants received a prelacteal feed, especially ghutti (94%), within 6 hours of delivery. 99% were breast fed. Breast feeding began between 6 and 72 hours of birth. Almost all mothers believed ghutti cleanses the intestines and that colostrum is harmful. They discarded the colostrum. 73.5% of infants received top diluted milk. Mothers did not feed undiluted milk to their infants because they believed it causes diarrhea. 50.5% of mothers did not give their infants semi-solid foods until after 9 months. 20.5% did not give any semi-solid or solid food at one year. They all thought that semi-solid food causes diarrhea. 62.5% of infants received family food. 15% received biscuits. 98% had poor knowledge about nutritional requirements of infants, other than that breast milk is the natural food of infants. Most mothers practiced poor hygiene. Infants less than 6 months old were significantly more likely to have normal nutrition for age than those older than 6 months old (65.5% vs. 32.4%). Nutritional status declined with age, reflecting the unhygienic weaning practices in the area. At the end of 12 months, 6.8% suffered from severe grades of malnutrition. Nutritional status was not associated with social class. Educational status of mothers and fathers was significantly associated with nutritional status. These findings show that inadequate knowledge about proper weaning, not lack of food, is the limiting factor in infant nutrition. Education about the importance of proper weaning and weaning foods imparted by grass-root level workers is needed.