Awareness Level of Mothers Regarding Child Weaning Practice in Aseer Region, Southern of Saudi Arabia

Background: Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk. The infant is fully weaned once it is no longer fed any breast milk. Preferred time and method to wean a human infant is controversial. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends feeding a baby only breast milk for the first six months of its life. Recently, breastfeeding has become challenging as many mothers must return to work relatively soon after the birth of their child. Aim: To assess mother's awareness regarding weaning practices and its determinants among Mothers in Aseer reign, southern Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used targeting all mothers in Aseer region. The study was conducted during the period from February 2020 to May 2020. Data were collected using structured questionnaire which was developed by the researchers after intensive literature review and expert's consultation. The questionnaire was uploaded online using social media platforms by the researchers and their relatives and friends to be filled in by all population in Aseer region. Results: The survey included 803 responding mothers whose ages ranged from 20 to 55 years with mean age of 30.6 +/- 10.2 years old. University level of education was recorded for 516 mothers (64.3%). Exactly 174 mothers (18.3%) reported that infant food should be breast milk only till the age of 4 months. Regarding importance of breast feeding, 686 (85.4%) of the mothers reported provision of nutrients needed in 1st 6 months and 63.1% reported for reducing infectious diseases risk while only 9 (1.1%) reported that it improves child immunity. In total, good awareness level regarding weaning practice was reported among less than 10% of the surveyed mothers. Conclusions & recommendations: In conclusion, the study revealed that mothers in Aseer region had poor knowledge regarding weaning and weaning practice especially effects of delayed weaning. Their main source of information was based on their personal experience. More effort should be paid to improve mother's awareness and practice regarding breast feeding and weaning.