Assessment of Breastfeeding, Weaning, and Complementary Feeding Practices Among Women Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India

Introduction Infants depend exclusively on mothers' milk for nutrition in their early months of life. However, some infants are given cow/buffalo milk during insufficiency. After six months, the children are supplemented with complementary food, including solid food, to meet the nutritional requirements of a growing infant, a process known as weaning. Therefore, it is important for mothers to have a clear understanding of the nature of food, and the nutritional requirements of the children. This study aimed to understand the knowledge, awareness, and practice of breastfeeding, weaning, and complementary feeding among women. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire-based observational study was carried out between May and June 2021. The study included 150 women attending the outpatient department of pediatrics attached to Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), Vikarabad, Telangana, India. After taking the informed consent, the researcher filled out a pre-validated questionnaire based on the subjects' responses. The data regarding sociodemographic details and information regarding knowledge, timing, practices of weaning, knowledge of nutritional requirements, and child feeding practices were collected as a pre-test. An educational briefing of the essentials of child feeding practices, weaning, and dietary requirements was undertaken using chalk and board and audio-visual aids, among others. In the post-test, the knowledge of mothers regarding weaning practices, the importance of weaning, and understanding of the nutritional requirements and their inclusion in a child's diet was assessed. The quantitative data were represented as percentages. The Chi-square test was applied to find out the statistical significance of the results obtained from the study. Results Of the 150 women who participated in the study, the majority belonged to the age group of 18-23 years (66.7%). Most women were illiterate (34%) and only 12% were graduates. More than 70% of the participants belonged to the middle and lower middle class. The majority of participants (96.7%) had carried out exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and 63.35% of mothers had initiated weaning their child between the age of 6-12 months. Only 37.4% of mothers started breastfeeding within hours after the delivery. A combination of all foods (36%), rice/wheat (29%), processed food (18.8%), fruits and vegetables (9.2%), and pulses (6.7%) were chosen for weaning. Many felt that eggs and meat supplementation can be done between 12-18 months. Conclusion The knowledge of breastfeeding and best practices of weaning and complementary feeding habits significantly affects the child's growth and overall health. The women in this study had a moderate level of understanding regarding the aspects of breastfeeding, weaning practices, and complementary dietary requirements during weaning.