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KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF LACTATING MOTHERS TOWARDS COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING AT KATEETE HEALTH CENTRE II, NTUNDA SUB-COUNTY, MUKONO DISTRICT

Background: Complementary feeding is defined as the process starting when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants, and therefore other foods and liquids are needed, along with breast milk. The transition from exclusive breastfeeding to family foods – referred to as complementary feeding typically covers the period from 6 - 24 months of age, even though breastfeeding may continue up to two years of age and beyond. Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine knowledge, attitude and practices of lactating mothers towards complementary feeding in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality among the under-five children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and descriptive in nature, employing quantitative methods of data collection which was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practices of lactating mothers towards complementary feeding among 108 lactating mothers at Kateete health center II who were selected using systematic sampling method, data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: From the data analyzed, all 100% of the respondents knew that the baby should be breastfed on demand and most of them 88.9% exclusively breastfed their babes for six months, 70.4% of the respondents knew that fruits and vegetables are suitable complementary foods, 75.9% had knowledge that a child should be assisted to eat until 2 years of age, 82.4% of the respondents knew that breastfeeding should be initiated within an hour after birth. Three quarter of the respondents strongly disagreed that it is not possible for baby to survive on breastfeeding for six months while 65.7% of them also strongly agreed that exclusive breastfeeding is enough for the child before six months. 58.3% of the respondents initiated complementary feeding before six months. Half 50.9% of the respondents fed their children three times a day, and 64.8% washed their hands with soap before feeding the baby Conclusions and Recommendations: In conclusion, this study revealed that knowledge of the mothers towards CF was good, the attitude was moderate and the practices of CF was poor as majority introduced CF before six months. Therefore, the study recommends accurate information and education to be given to mothers and caregivers about appropriate timing of initiating CF, CF foods, preparation and practices to prevent malnutrition and improve the health status of the children. Emphasize the need of teaching mothers the importance of infant feeding.

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Author: wanyenze rita
Contributed by: asbat digital library
Institution: international health sciences university
Level: university
Sublevel: under-graduate
Type: dissertations