Association of Malnutrition With Weaning Practices Among Infants in Pakistan

Background An appropriate diet is critical for the growth and development of infants, especially in the first two years of life. Despite considerable efforts made by government and local authorities to raise awareness, mothers still lack basic knowledge of weaning practices; as a result, infants face a growing number of health problems in their later years of life. This research aims to investigate the association between malnutrition and knowledge of different weaning practices among mothers and to study the factors influencing it. Methodology The current study was a cross-sectional study conducted at Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital, and Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan between November 2019 and May 2020. A total of 200 infants of both genders aged between one and 12 months were included in the study. Knowledge and practices of complementary feeding by the mothers were assessed using a close-ended, pre-tested questionnaire. Results Mothers of 200 infants were interviewed and it was found that 79.5% of the infants were being breastfed while 24% never received breast milk. Among those who never received breast milk were given liquids (25%) and semi-solid foods (64.5%). Of the mothers, 8% started weaning at an early age (less than six months old) while the remaining started weaning at the age of six months or later and reported that their infants were either underweight or had reduced heights for that age. Based on the medical reports obtained from the hospital after getting parental consent, it was also found that the infants had distinct signs of deficiency of vitamins A and D, iron, and folate. Conclusions The majority of infants were breastfed, and, in most cases, weaning started at an age of less than six months. Most of the infants were fed semi-solid food as their first complementary food. Two-thirds of the infants were underweight for that age, and one-fifth had reduced heights. Based on deficiency statistics, mothers should be encouraged to start weaning at six months to have minimized malnourishment instances in infants.