Child Feeding Habits in the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. II. Supplementary Foods and Weaning Patterns

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The use of supplementary foods among 86 urban, 132 slum, and 747 rural children below 2 years of age in the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDR Yemen) has been surveyed. The very first supplementary food introduced was biscuits, which were given from before 3 months of age in slum areas. Biscuits were considered by mothers to be very suitable for the youngest infants and these new products fit into the traditional Yemeni food classification as beneficial for growth and ‘strengthening of the body’. Commercial baby food was used predominantly in the urban areas and because of convenience. It was often considered superior to home made food. Family food was introduced at a median age of 8.5, 7, and 11 months among urban, slum, and rural children, respectively. Most mothers believed that the supplementary food given was adequate and that their children were thriving normally. However, 4–35 per cent of mothers expressed concern about their children's thriving. The mothers thought that the supplementary food given was the maximum possible because of either the volume, or financial constraints, or her perceiving the amount to be quite adequate. Considerable differences were found between urban and rural mothers. Half of the mothers who had experienced food rejection from the child tried to compensate by increasing the frequency of feeding.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: