The practice of complementary feeding and associated factors among mothers of children 6-23 months of age in Enemay district, Northwest Ethiopia

Purpose - The aim of this study was to assess complementary feeding practice and identify factors associated with it among mothers of children 6-23 months of age in Enemay district, Northwest Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach - A community-based cross-sectional study design with a multi-stage sampling technique was undertaken from March to April 2013. Pre-tested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire were used to collect the data. Epi data were used for data entry and cleaning and SPSS for descriptive and logistic regression analysis. Findings - Timely complementary feeding, minimum acceptable meal frequency and minimum dietary diversity were 56.4, 60.6 and 8.5 percent among the respondents, respectively. The practice of optimal complementary feeding was 40.5 percent. Occupation, knowledge of complementary feeding and family income of the mother, and maternal healthcare services utilization were associated with optimal complementary feeding practice (OCFP). Originality/value - The proportion of mothers who practiced timely complementary feeding, acceptable meal frequency and dietary diversity, and the overall OCFP were found to be low. Therefore, maternal healthcare services utilization and health information dissemination should be strengthened to all expectant mothers. Type of paper: Original research.