Influencing factors of complementary food practices among mothers with children under 2 Years of Age: A Cross-Sectional Study in Al Hila city- Iraq

Authors

  • shymaa ajam Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University Author
  • Ali Neamah Hasan Al‑Aaragi Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46649/gt28qh62

Keywords:

Infant and young child feeding(IYCF), Complementary Feeding (CF), weaning practice

Abstract

Abstract and purpose: Inadequate breast milk, connect work mother, child illness, family advice, are one of the causes of stop breastfeeding and introduce food practice to the child among mothers. Aim: Assessing the factors influencing Complementary Food Practices among children Materials and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study on complementary feeding practices of infant feeding based on sociodemographic characteristics houseful and children. conducted was this study during the period between October 2024 and April 2025 on 280 mothers of infants /child under 2 year of age attending primary health centers using random sampling method and structured questionnaire. A chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Results: Of the 280 participants mother, only 75% mother started breastfeeding within the first hour after birth. more than half of the babies stopped breastfeeding before six months of age, prevalence of formula feeding at time study among children 41%, most IRAQI mothers Al-Hila City consider bottle feeding to be more convenient, less tiring, and more nutritious than breastfeeding. 52% followed the recommendation of introduction of food at 4-6 month of age, not found a significant association between socioeconomic status and the time of start of food (P.v = 0.834), because consider Iraq from upper middle income, finding study was found associated between time of introduction food related to sociodemographic characteristic (P < 0.000). Finally, weight / age distribution that revealed a significant portion (P.v =0.017) of children fell within the healthy weight category by anthropometric data using the World Health Organization program software.appendixA Conclusion: Stopped breastfeeding before six months of age and start of feeding at 4-6month of age in Hilla City /Iraq is not meeting the WHO recommendations. should be Emphasis to educating mothers and fathers about this important concept.

Downloads

Published

2025-07-15

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025): Al-Furat Journal for Health and Medical Sciences

Section

Public Health Sciences

License

The Corresponding Author, with the consent of all coauthors, hereby transfers to the FJHMS the copyright ownership in referenced Article, including all versions in any format now known or the hereafter developed. If the Article is not accepted by FJHMS or withdrawn prior to acceptance, this transfer will be null and void.

In order for your article to be distributed as widely as possible your grant the FJHMS an exclusive right to:

  1. Publish, reproduce, distribute, display, and store the Article in all forms, formats, and media known or later developed (including without limitation in print, digital, and electronic form) throughout the world;
  2. Translate the Article into other languages, create adaptations, summaries or extracts of the Article or other derivative works based on the Article and exercise all of the rights set forth in (a) above in such translations, adaptations, summaries, extracts, and derivative works;
  3. License others to do any or all of the above

 

All accepted Articles become the property of FJHMS and may not be published elsewhere without written permission of the FJHMS

How to Cite

Influencing factors of complementary food practices among mothers with children under 2 Years of Age: A Cross-Sectional Study in Al Hila city- Iraq. (2025). Al-Furat Journal for Health and Medical Sciences , 1(2), 117-137. https://doi.org/10.46649/gt28qh62