| dc.description.abstract | The period of weaning is very important in determining
the nutritional status of infants, since malnutrition in
children under the age of five years starts mainly during the
weaning period. International guidelines recommend exclusive
breast-feeding until the infant is 4 to 6 months old, followed
by introduction of suitable supplementary foods, appropriately
given till the child is about 2 years, to reduce malnutrition
and infection. However, in many societies the weaning
practices are inappropriate. This work describes weaning
practices, factors associated with it, and the nutritional
value of commonly used weaning diets.
Women with children 2 years or below, in peri-urban
communities of Kumasi metropolis of Ghana, were interviewed in
a cross-sectional survey. One hundred and seventy-two mothers
were randomly sampled and questioned on weaning practices,
socio-economic characteristics and the dietary intakes of
their children. Composition of the commonly used weaning
foods, energy and protein intakes of the children were
determined. The relationship between the weaning practices and
the socio-economic characteristics of the mothers, as well as
the results of two focus group discussions on weaning and
other practices held, are also reported.
Despite the prolonged duration of breast-feeding, with
mean shortest and longest periods of breast-feeding being
13.7 and 16.9 months, respectively, the frequency was low,
and abrupt stoppage was a common practice. Liquid weaning
diets were introduced earlier (at 1-3 months) than
recommended, but semi-solids were given at the appropriate
time (between 5 and 7 months). The energy and protein intakes
of the children were low, meeting only 49% and 90% of their
recommended daily intakes, respectively. This was attributed
to the low energy and protein densities of koko, the most
commonly used liquid diet, and low energy and nutrient
contents of other commonly used weaning diets. The duration of
breast-feeding was significantly, negatively correlated with
the mothers' educational level and occupation, possibly due to
the fact that the more educated mothers introduce weaning
foods earlier, and are mostly employed outside the home. The
breast-feeding duration was, however, positively correlated
with the daily income of mothers who earned less than 2000
cedis, since a higher income could lead to a better nutrition
for the mother, therefore a prolonged breast-feeding. Among
the illiterate mothers and housewives, the daily energy and
protein intakes of their children were significantly,
positively correlated with their age, possibly because the
older mothers feed the children more food as they spend more
time with them.
The design and implementation of a nutrition education
programme, and a complete evaluation of the usefulness of
home-made and recommended weaning diets is recommended to
improve the weaning practices. | en |
