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. 2023 Oct 18;15(10):e47273.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.47273. eCollection 2023 Oct.

The Effect of Weaning Practices on the Nutritional and Health Status of Saudi Preschool Children

Osman Suliman  1 , Walaa M Alsharif  2 , Emad A Alsaedi  2 , Lama S Alhazmi  2 , Lujain M Reshwan  2 , Noof N Alharbi  2 , Farwa Munir  3 , Amal Surrati  4
Affiliations

The Effect of Weaning Practices on the Nutritional and Health Status of Saudi Preschool Children

Osman Suliman et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background Weaning is a complex procedure that gradually introduces complementary foods to the baby's diet. Solid food should be started between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Weaning is a challenging and crucial stage in an infant's development. Extreme caution should be used during weaning an infant because delaying it can cause issues like sluggish growth, difficulties feeding, malnutrition, and iron deficiency. Objective The current study aims to determine the impact of delayed or early weaning practices on the nutritional status of preschool children in Saudi Arabia. Data was gathered about the time of complementary food introduction, preferred foods in the initial stages, and a child's health compared to those practices. Methodology By convenient sampling, a cross-sectional study was conducted to gather data from 385 parents of Saudi children at preschool age. Questionnaires were shared online. Data were recorded and analyzed on IBM Corp. Released 2012. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Descriptive analysis and multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) tests were performed. Results Only 6.23% of the infants were introduced to complimentary food at optimal age (6 to 12 months), whereas 85% were found to have delayed weaning. As per the BMI, 74.4% of preschool children were severely underweight, 53.6% of infants consumed pureed vegetables early during weaning, and 64% of infants were introduced to eggs and cheese within the first year of life. The timing, pattern, and food items of weaning had a significant (p<0.05) impact on general physical health, as 48.8% of children had pale skin, 46.9% felt tired, 36.5% had swollen joints, and 42% complained of itching and an upset stomach. Conclusion This study couldn't define the direction of significance. Further studies can be done on a larger scale where biochemical tests, and screening can be done on children to find if any significant health problem is prevailing, and the direction of association can be defined.

Keywords: complementary foods; health; infants; preschool; weaning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Age distribution as per the introduction of weaning practices
The data has been represented as the percentage of occurrence of the variables
Figure 2
Figure 2. The liquid intake pattern of infant before six month of age
The data has been represented as a percentage occurrence of the variable
Figure 3
Figure 3. The solid intake pattern of infant between the age of 6-12 months
The data has been represented as a percentage occurrence of the variable
Figure 4
Figure 4. Prevalence of iron deficiency symptoms in infants
The data has been represented as a percentage occurrence of the variable
Figure 5
Figure 5. Prevalence of musculoskeletal issues in infants
The data has been represented as a percentage occurrence of the variable
Figure 6
Figure 6. Prevalence of allergic symptoms in infants
The data has been represented as a percentage occurrence of the variable
Figure 7
Figure 7. Age of weaning introduction and the onset of pale skin
The data has been represented as the percentage of occurrence of the variables
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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