[Maternal beliefs, feeding practices and nutritional status in Afro-Colombian infants].
This study describes maternal practices and beliefs on children feeding and their relationship with nutritional status of Afro-Colombian children aged 6 to 18 months. We combined ethnographic and epidemiological data. We collected information using a food frequency questionnaire. Nine focus groups and 5 deep interviews to mothers of children less than 2 years of age were performed. Our data showed a prevalence of wasting of 2.6% (< -2 SD weight-for-length) and prevalence of stunting of 9.8% (< -2 SD height-for-age). These practices are characterized by a universal onset of breastfeeding, that lasted 10 months in average, and an early introduction of complementary food (mean: 3 months). Breastfeeding is a cultural norm. Weaning is related to new pregnancy, to low milk production and to negative effects of breast process on mothers' health. Early complementary feeding and bottle-feeding are highly valued due to their positive effect on nutritional status and adaptation of children to adult-type diets. The introduction of complementary food after 4 months, the quality of the first food introduced and the diversity of complementary food predicted better nutritional status (p < 0.05). We conclude that nutritional illiteracy and mothers' erroneous beliefs result in 50% of the mothers having inadequate feeding practices. We suggest focused interventions on those beliefs limiting good practices.
Alvarado
Beatriz Eugenia
BE
Grupo AntroPacífico, Unidad de Epidemiología Clínica, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia.
Tabares
Rosa Elizabeth
RE
Delisle
Helene
H
Zunzunegui
Maria-Victoria
MV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004522:Educational Status; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014886:Weaning