Open AccessDeterminants of suboptimal complementary feeding practices among children aged 6–23 months in seven francophone W est A frican countries
Author(s) -
Issaka Abukari I.,
Agho Kingsley E.,
Page Andrew N.,
L. Burns Penelope,
Stevens Garry J.,
Dibley Michael J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
maternal and child nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1740-8709
pISSN - 1740-8695
DOI - 10.1111/mcn.12193
Subject(s) - medicine , residence , psychological intervention , multivariate analysis , gerontology , french , demography , pediatrics , environmental health , humanities , nursing , sociology , philosophy
Suboptimal complementary feeding practices play a crucial role in the health and development of children. The objective of this research paper was to identify factors associated with suboptimal complementary feeding practices among children aged 6–23 months in seven francophone W est A frican countries, namely, B enin, B urkina F aso, C ote d' I voire, G uinea, M ali, N iger and S enegal. This study covered 22 376 children aged 6–23 months from the seven countries surveyed ( B enin: 3732 children; B urkina F aso: 4205 children; C ote d' I voire: 2109 children, G uinea: 1944 children, M ali: 3798 children, N iger: 3451 children and S enegal: 3137 children). The most recent D emographic and H ealth S urvey datasets of the various countries were used as data sources. A set of individual‐, household‐ and community‐level factors were used to examine the four complementary feeding indicators. Multivariate analysis revealed that the youngest age bracket (6–11 months) of children, administrative/geographical region, mother's limited or non‐access to the mass media, mothers' lack of contact with a health facility, rural residence, poor households and non‐working mothers were the main factors associated with suboptimal complementary feeding in the countries surveyed. Our findings highlight the need to consider broader social, cultural and economic factors when designing child nutritional interventions.