Assessment of Complementary Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Children (0-24 months) in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess complementary feeding practices of under-five children in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. A cross-sectional descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted of nursing mothers with children (0-24 months) attending their normal health services in seven (7) major primary health care centres in Akuku Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State. A sample size of 210 nursing mothers was selected for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Assessment of Complementary Feeding Practices of Children Questionnaire”. The questionnaire was validated by three validates. Data generated using the research instrument was analyzed using frequency, percentages and mean. The findings obtained showed that most nursing mothers initiate complementary feeding at early age and their reasons often times are pressure from their family members who do not understand the benefits of adequate breast milk and pressure from employers to resume work. Majority of the sampled nursing mothers in the study area prefer cereal/grain, fruits, vegetables, yoghurt and custard over other complementary foods used in nursing a child. Majority of the respondent agreed that the nutritional status of infants introduced to complementary foods at their early stage of development is usually underweight, stunting and wasting. It was also established that inappropriate complementary feeding practices adopted by nursing mothers in the study areas has significant effect on the nutritional status of their infants. Therefore, the study recommends that there is need for promotion of women’s health and nutrition as a strategy that will benefit child nutritional status. Interventional programmes should target poorer household and mothers with lower educational level to improve complementary feeding practices of mothers. Developmental programmes should focus on empowering women in rural communities by improving of household income through creation of employment and access to credit facilities that will enable women engage in sustainable means of livelihood.