Preschool children's caregivers’ attitudes and behavior regarding bottle feeding in Bangpakong, Chachoengsao

OBJECTIVES: To study a group of preschool children's caregivers’ attitudes and behavior regarding bottle feeding in Bangpakong, Chachoengsao. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample comprised 320 caregivers of preschool children aged 3–6 years, who were attending the public preschools in Bangpakong, Chachoengsao, and they completed self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires had information about demographic data, weaning status, the feeding practices for children who were still on a bottle, and the caregivers’ attitudes on bottle feeding according to weaning status. RESULTS: Of these children, 38.4% were still on a bottle while 61.6% had been weaned. Mean age at the weaning time was 3.1 ± 0.6 years. The most common reason that led caregivers of bottle feeding group to allow continuation of the habit was the child refused to wean. Of these caregivers, 56% lacked knowledge concerning the appropriate weaning time and that the use of bottles should be actively discouraged for children after 1 year of age. Attitudes between bottle feeding and weaned groups were significantly different (P < 0.05) in the following: a child should be introduced to drink from cup after 1 year of age, nursing bottle works best to stop a child from crying, early weaning results in poor mental health, and early weaning results in malnutrition. CONCLUSION: Prolonged bottle feeding beyond the recommended age was found in the majority of preschool children in this study. Dental professions should provide oral health promotion education program including feeding practice information to caregivers.