| dc.description.abstract | Complementary feeding refers to introducing safe and nutritious foods alongside breast milk at six months of age,
as breast milk alone may not be sufficient for the infant. Inadequate knowledge about complementary foods and
poor complementary feeding practices are more likely to cause malnutrition, stunting, delayed development, and
increased susceptibility to diseases. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore knowledge, practices and
factors associated with complementary feeding among the mothers of children aged 6-24 months attending the
Child Welfare Clinic at Piliyandala Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area. A descriptive cross-sectional study
was conducted among 300 mothers who were recruited using a non-probability convenient sampling method from
six Child Welfare Clinics, using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic
data, knowledge, and practices regarding complementary feeding, with scoring systems to
categorize responses into knowledge (poor, average, good) and practices (poor, neutral, good) based on
predefined ranges. One mark was allocated for each correct response in both knowledge-based questions and
practice-based questions. The maximum possible scores for knowledge and practice were 23 and 24 respectively.
Results indicated that the majority of the respondents (98%) portrayed a good level of knowledge (Mean score-
19.17 ± 1.72) and a good level (98%) of practice (Mean score-19.54 ± 1.63) regarding complementary feeding. A
statistically significant association was observed between the mother’s age and the level of knowledge (p =
0.001), the level of practice (p= 0.001), and the level of education (p=0.033). Moreover, a moderately positive
correlation was observed between knowledge and practice (rs = 0.231, p= 0.001). This shows that mothers with
good knowledge showed better practices regarding complementary feeding. | en_US |
