Infant Feeding Practices Among Nursing Mothers

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the infant feeding using anthropometric measurement in Okeyinmi Comprehensive Health Centre, Ado-Ekiti?

2. What is the level of awareness of nursing mothers about infant feeding? 

3. What are the factors that influence the nutrition status of infants?

4. What are the feeding practices engaged in by nursing mothers of infants? 

1.5 Hypotheses

H01: There is no significant relationship between the infant feeding and the     

        socio-economic factor of the primary care giver.

H02: There is no significant difference between male and female infants nutritional status.

H03: There is no significant association between nutritional status and the age group of the child.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study was delimited to infants between the ages of 6months and 59months attending Infant welfare clinic of Okeyinmi Comprehensive health centre, Ado-Ekiti. The study used anthropometric measurement only as the method of determining the nutritional status of the child. The researcher delimited the study to only 0 months to 36 months children because the MUAC tape/ ShakirÂ’s tape is usually used for children of this age group.

1.7 Significance of the Study

Findings from this study provided data which reflects the infant feeding and this would help in decision or policy making process. This study would help in early recognition of nutritional related problems of the infants which would allow the nursing mothers of children with good nutritional status to be praised and nursing mothers with children with poor nutritional status to be adequately counseled. Findings would also show the pattern/prevalence of nutritional related problems among the infants as revealed by anthropometric measurement. Findings from this study would serve as relevant and reference materials in the area of nutrition of the infants by adding to the body of existing knowledge. Recommendations from this work would serve as assistant to the governments in making policies that might reduce the burdens of nutrition related problems in the society especially among the infants. 

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

1. Nutritional status: This is the health status of the infants as determined by anthropometric measurement.

2. Associated factors: These are the determinants of the infant feeding in Okeyinmi Comprehensive Health Centre, Ado-Ekiti.

3. Infants: These are children whose ages range from 0 months to 36 months and are brought to the Okeyinmi Comprehensive Health Centre, Ado-Ekiti.

4. Anthropometric measurements: These are standard measurements to determine the nutritional status. This includes measurement of weight for age (to determine underweight), height for age (to determine stunting), weight for height (to determine wasting). 

5. Primary care giver: This is anybody that brings the infants child to the infant welfare clinic of Okeyinmi Comprehensive Health Centre, Ado-Ekiti. The primary care givers included the nursing mothers, fathers, or guardians.