Knowledge Levels of Mothers Regarding Baby Feeding: A Single- Center Experience

Abstract

Objective: The acquaintance period with complementary foods is an essential period for infants in terms of the determination of both their development and short- and long-term health conditions. The method of introduction of complementary foods to the infant, the order in which they are introduced, and the repetitive introduction of foods to the infant are vital for determining the eating behavior and food preferences. Methods: We designed as a single-center, cross sectional, descriptive study. Written and verbal consent was obtained from the mothers, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the family by the doctors involved in the study. The survey comprised 33 open-ended and closed-ended questions that evaluated the experiences of mothers regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Results: The mothers of 100 infants presenting to the pediatric emergency department participated in the questionnaire survey. The mean age of the infants was 10.48 ± 6.37 months, and 52% of them were boys. Mothers with an educational level higher than elementary school started breastfeeding after waiting for a longer time (p = 0.03). Mothers with elementary school and secondary school graduate education levels exclusively breastfed their infants for a period over 10 months significantly higher than mothers with undergraduate and postgraduate education level (p = 0.0072, RR = 0.44). Among the participants, 53.1% responded that they used formula milk in baby nutrition. Conclusions: Mothers’ knowledge levels regarding the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and the timing of transitioning to complementary feeding were insufficient and inversely proportional to their education level. Moreover, the lack of education on the initiation of formula milk, except for medical indications, in our country was striking. Therefore, all physicians, especially pediatricians, should allocate time for explaining the importance of breastfeeding, timing, and diversity of complementary feeding and seek support from the media.

Keywords

• Breastfeeding
• complementary feeding
• feeding knowledge

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