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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Oct;16(4):e13027.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.13027. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Maternal knowledge in complementary feeding following Baby Friendly Community Initiative in Koibatek, Kenya

Mildred Maingi  1 , Judith Kimiywe  2 , Sharon Iron-Segev  1   3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Maternal knowledge in complementary feeding following Baby Friendly Community Initiative in Koibatek, Kenya

Mildred Maingi et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

The Kenyan Ministry of Health has developed a National Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding with the goal of improving feeding practices for infants and children. In order to promote appropriate infant feeding, the government has explored implementation of the Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI). This study assessed maternal knowledge of attributes of complementary feeding following implementation of BFCI in Koibatek, Kenya. A randomized control study composed of 270 mother-infant pairs previously enrolled in a BFCI programme in Koibatek was conducted. The study found that a significantly greater number of mothers in the intervention group were more knowledgeable about proper breastfeeding and complementary feeding aspects compared with controls (P ≤ 0.001). About half (53%) of mothers in the intervention group had high knowledge scores in comparison with 20% of mothers in the control group. When the relationship between mothers' knowledge and complementary feeding practices (minimum meal frequency, minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet) was assessed, significant associations were observed (P = 0.010, P ≤ 0.001 and P ≤ 0.001, respectively). The odds of having a high knowledge score regarding complementary feeding practices were significantly higher for the intervention group compared with the control group (odds ratio [OR]: 25.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 13.62-49.55, P ≤ 0.001). The BFCI intervention effectively improved mothers' knowledge on complementary feeding and correlated with improved feeding practices.

Keywords: child feeding; community based; complementary feeding; infant and child feeding; knowledge; nutrition education.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
CONSORT flow diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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