Participatory nutrition education and adoption of new feeding practices are associated with improved adequacy of complementary diets among rural Malawian children: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To introduce practices for improving complementary feeding and evaluate their adoption and association with improved dietary intakes.


METHODS
A quasiexperimental pilot study comparing dietary intakes from complementary foods among three intervention communities and one control community before and after the intervention, and adoption of new complementary feeding practices among intervention communities following the intervention.


METHODS
Rural subsistence communities in southern Malawi, Central Africa.


METHODS
Mothers and their children aged 6 to 23 months receiving complementary foods.


METHODS
A participatory, nutrition education intervention based on four locally adapted lessons for complementary feeding practices designed to increase: (i) total complementary food intake; (ii) energy and nutrient density of the complementary diet, and; (iii) iron and zinc bioavailability of the complementary diet.


RESULTS
Adoption rates for the four practices ranged from 25% for preparation of enriched porridges, to 10% for preparing soaked, pounded maize. The amount of complementary foods (g/day) and intakes of energy, animal protein, niacin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, and zinc, but not vitamin A, were significantly greater (P<0.05) in the intervention compared to control group, as were the energy, iron, and riboflavin density, and the estimated amount of bioavailable iron and zinc.


CONCLUSIONS
Several intervention practices were well accepted and adopted and were associated with improved adequacy of energy and nutrient intakes from the complementary diet. Such improvements were attributed mainly to greater total intakes and, to a lesser extent, enhanced dietary quality of the complementary foods.
Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. chotz@insp.mx
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Gibson
D001682:Biological Availability; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000592:standards*; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012423:Rural Health; D012424:Rural Population; D014886:Weaning; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry; D015032:Zinc / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
D019266:Iron, Dietary; D015032:Zinc