Psychosocial Factors Affecting Attitudes and Practices of Child Nutrition among Women in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Good nutrition is nourishment for life. An adequate supply of food and proper nutritional habit are fundamentalfactors that place people of all races and developmental stages for healthy living. The study examined and analysedthe psycho-social factors affecting the attitudes and practises of child nutrition among women in Ibadan metropolis.The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised all the mothers whobrought their children to the hospitals and clinics in Ibadan metropolis. A random sampling of women with childrenof 130 respondents was made,using knowledge of nutrition, socioeconomic factors and family background criteriaamong other. A self-administered questionnaire as well as a structured interview schedule were used to collectthe requisite data which includes maternal knowledge, attitude towards nutrition, and child feeding practisesamong other. The data was analysed using ANOVA and Regression statistics. The result of the study revealed asignificant position ofmaternal knowledge of nutrition as it affects the psychosocial factors of age, occupation,and educational qualification (F=3.67, P<0.05). The result also revealed a multiple regression of 0.476 and 19.1%of the variance in knowledge was shown by the coefficient of determination (R² = 0.191). Based on the results ofthe study, maternal knowledge on nutrition should be encourage and human nutritionist should organise seminars,workshops and campaigns to further assist women on their children feeding practises and finally the observedpsychosocial factors that are found to be relevant on child feeding practises should be encouraged.