Abstract:
Complementary feeding is the vulnerable period of transition from exclusive breastfeeding to
a family diet. Children should start receiving adequate, safe, and appropriate complementary
foods at six months and continue to be breastfed until they are two years old. Adequate
nutrition during childhood is critical for growth, development, and long-term health into
adulthood. This study was therefore aimed to assess the complementary feeding practice,
dietary diversity and the associated factors among children under two years. The cross sectional study design was used to get the primary data. Systematic random sampling was
used to select the respondents from the randomly selected sites. Primary data were collected
Through structured and sem structured questionnaires as well as the Focus Group
Discussions from March, 2022 through April 2022. A total of 384 household wives were
involved in this study. Out of 384 predetermined respondents, a total of 379 respondents
participated in the study with a response rate of 98.7%. The study found that more than half
of the respondents (51.2%) had good practises and knowledge in complementary feeding of
children, while nearly half (48.8%) had poor practises and knowledge in feeding
complementary foods. In this study, the minimum dietary diversity was 35.89%. The mothers'
complementary feeding practices were significantly influenced by household income level
[AOR= 0.28 and 95% CI 0.042, 0.88], mother age [AOR= 0.59 and 95% CI 0.264, 4.18],
and mother occupation [AOR= 2.15 and 95% CI 3.19, 12.81]. Similarly, household income
level [AOR=0.92 and 95%CI 1.01, 10.12], Age of the child [AOR= 0.15 and 95% CI 2.08,
5.22], Educational level of mothers [AOR=-0.05 and 95% CI 0.112, 6.25], and Birth order of
the child [AOR =3.34 and 95% CI 2.08, 12.21] had a significant relationship with the dietary
diversity of the children. The overall findings indicated that mothers’ feeding practices
toward complementary foods and the dietary diversity of children under two years are very
poor. Therefore, all possible interventions should be applied by all the concerned bodies to
improve mothers’ complementary feeding practices and dietary diversity of the children in
the study area.
