Nivel de conocimiento acerca de las prácticas y creencias en la alimentación complementaria en madres que residen en la ciudadela Alfonso Oramas González del cantón Durán.

Abstract

Complementary feeding (CF) consists of progressive introduction of food supplements other than breast milk, with the aim of meeting nutritional needs from 6 months of age. The knowledge of breastfeeding mothers about CF is essential to ensure adequate child growth and promote a state of health in early and later stages of life. Previous studies evaluated the level of knowledge of Ecuadorian mothers about complementary feeding, and found regular levels in mothers of Cuenca, Guayaquil and Zamora. However, no studies were found that reflect the level of knowledge about complementary feeding of mothers in Durán canton. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was developed with the objective of evaluating the level of knowledge about complementary feeding in mothers who reside in Alfonso Oramas González village, in Durán canton. A physical survey was administered to 150 participants in a face-to-face interview and they were asked about their sociodemographic data. 62.7% of the participants were between 18 and 30 years old, 50% finished at least high school, 52.7% were in union status, 50.7% were housewives, and 70.7% had less than 3 children. Almost half of the mothers surveyed (43.33%) had a fair level of knowledge about complementary feeding, followed by 30.66% with a good level of knowledge. It was determined that the good level of knowledge had a statistically significant relationship (p<0.01) with the age of 18 to 30 years, the number of children less than 3, the occupation of independent work, and the source of information 'health professionals'. On the other hand, the level of regular knowledge was significantly related to civil union status (p<0.01) and the level of completed secondary education (p=0.034). The 4 findings of this study are useful for the entire health system, since they show the need to promote CA among mothers throughout the country. However, they are mainly important for the sectors focused on maternal and child well-being in Durán canton.