Complementary feeding practices among infants and young children in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Optimal complementary feeding (CF) promotes health and supports growth and development in children. While suboptimal feeding practices are reported for many countries, very limited information exists about such practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The present study describes CF practices in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and evaluates them using the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Programming Guide: Infant and Young Child Feeding. METHODS:In this cross-sectional study, participating mothers of children below the age of two reported on their children's CF introduction and practices via a structured questionnaire. The study received ethical approval (ZU17_006_F) from Zayed University. RESULTS:Out of 1822 participating mothers, 938 had initiated complementary feeding for their children, who had a mean age of 7.1?±?5.9?months. Three quarters of the children (72.2%) were introduced to CF in a timely manner between the ages of 6 and 9?months. A majority (71.4%) consumed ?4 food groups, i.e. the recommended minimum diet diversity. In total, less than half (47.3%) of the children met the requirements for minimum meal frequency, with the non-breastfed, 6-23?month old children being the least compliant (21.9%) (p?

SUBMITTER: Taha Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7453515 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature