Hygienic Practice during Complementary Feeding and Associated Factors among Mothers of Children Aged 6-24 Months in Bahir Dar Zuria District, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019

Abstract

Introduction. Breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants, and therefore food is needed. Microbiologically contaminated food is particularly harmful for children <2 years of age. There is scanty of information on hygienic practice and associated factors during complementary feeding among mothers of children aged 6 to 24 months in the country, particularly in the study setting. Objective. The study was aimed to assess hygienic practices and associated factors during complementary feeding among children aged 6 to 24 months in Bahir Dar Zuria District, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross sectional study was conducted from March 20 to April 20, 2019. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using the structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with hygienic practice during complementary feeding. Data were entered by using Epi Data version 3.1, and then it was exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis, and at 95% CI, p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result. Among 604 respondents, 235 (38.9%) of study participants had good hygienic practice during complementary feeding. Access to media (AOR: 8.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.8-20.3), private latrine ownership (AOR: 4.11, 95% CI: 1.90-8.49), presence of hand washing facility at doorstep (AOR: 6.75 95% CI: 3.16-14.41), and residence of the study participants (AOR: 85.42, 95% CI: 1.94-15.2) were significantly associated with good hygienic practice of mothers during complementary feeding. Conclusion. Majority of mothers had poor hygienic practice during complementary feeding. Attitude of mothers, access to media, household private latrine ownership, presence of handwashing facility, and residence of the study participants were significantly associated with hygiene practice of mothers during complementary feeding. The health sector should train mothers on good hygiene practices during complementary feeding.