Abstract

Nutritional status of children aged 6-24 months is expected to be inculcated in the priority

of every nation as malnutrition is one of the principal underlying causes of death in the

world's children contributing to more than a third of under-five deaths globally. There is

need of teaching the importance of maternal knowledge on complementary feeding practice

and nutritional status of children 6-24 months to every nursing mother both in rural and

urban areas of Nigeria. The study investigated the relationship between maternal

knowledge, complementary feeding practice and nutritional status of children aged 6-24

months attending immunization clinic at Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Abia State. A

cross- sectional study was employed and the sample consisted of 250 nursing mothers with

their children aged 6-24 months attending immunization clinic at Federal Medical Centre,

Umuahia, Abia State. Detailed and structured questionnaire, which were validated by

lecturers of Human Nutrition and Dietetics department, was used for data collection. Data

generated were analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical

Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 and WHO anthropometric. Pearson

correlation was used to show the relationship between maternal knowledge towards

complementary feeding and nutritional status of their children. The study revealed

significant relationship (P< 0.05) between Body Mass Index (BMI) for age of the children

and ideal feeding practice for infants. The study revealed that ideal feeding practice

increase nutritional wellbeing of an infant. The result showed that; majority (81.6%) of

nursing mothers had good knowledge on ideal feeding practice, many (73.2%) of the

respondents has good knowledge about the age at which solid food should be introduced,

most (90.8%) of the respondents had good knowledge on good complementary foods to be

given to an infant. Result from height/length for age of the children indicated that almost

all (76.5%) of the children were normal, few (3.2%) were stunted and some (16.6%) were

severely stunted. Weight for age of the children showed that more than half (62.4%) of the

children were normal, 4.8% were obese, 4.0% are underweight and 7.2% are severely

underweight. Finally, BMI for age showed that many (43.3%) of the children were normal,

10.5% are obese, 4.5% are wasted and 4.9% are severely wasted. Based on my findings

good maternal knowledge of complementary feeding practice has a positive effect on

child's nutritional status. Child nutrition issues should be made central to all planning and

policy formulation if our society is to be concerned about the well-being of its future

citizens.