Exploring infant and young child-feeding practices among mothers of well-nourished children in northern Ghana: An INPreP substudy

Edith Dambayi*, Emmanuel Nakua, Raymond A. Aborigo, Samuel T. Chatio, Maxwell A. Dalaba, Enos Sekwo, James K. Adoctor, Winfred Ofosu, Abraham R. Oduro, Engelbert A. Nonterah

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This study investigated infant and young child-feeding (IYCF) practices among mothers of well-nourished children in northern Ghana. This was a qualitative study where in-depth individual interviews were conducted with participants. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and QSR Nvivo software version 11 was used to organize the data before thematic analysis. It was observed that mothers of well-nourished children were likely to adhere to breastfeeding guidelines and also practice appropriate complementary feeding. Furthermore, these mothers mostly had some form of support from their husbands and mother-in-laws in feeding their infants. While adoption and adherence to appropriate IYCF practices contribute to improved nutrition outcomes in children, social support systems are needed to sustain the practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)869-880
Number of pages12
JournalFood Science and Nutrition
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024

Keywords

  • community practices
  • first 1000 days, Ghana
  • infant and young child feeding (IYCF)
  • nutrition

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