Infants and Young Children Feeding Practices Among Mothers Attending Primary Health Care Centers in Basrah

Background: Malnutrition accounts for sixty percent of annual deaths among children under five years in developing countries, attributed to inappropriate feeding practices, including non-diverse and insufficient feeding. Improving the nutrition of children under five is a top priority for human development in these regions. Caregivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice of young child feeding are essential factors for child health and growth. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to assess infants and young children feeding practice among mothers attending primary health care centers in Basrah. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 250 mothers attending five primary health care centers in Basrah. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with participants by the investigators, using a specially prepared questionnaire. Results: The study included 250 children under the age of two years, with 76% of the children being less than one year old. Only 100 (40%) of the mothers breastfed their last child at the time of the study. Among the 250 mother-child pairs who participated, 101 (63.9%) mothers exclusively breastfed. Among 86 mothers with children aged 12-24 months, 63 (73.3%) of them continued breastfeeding. The initiation of complementary feeding (CF) was ideal in only 32.5% of the respondents, with the majority initiating CF before six months. Conclusions: Infant and young child feeding practices were poor in this study. There is a need to promote optimal feeding practices during postnatal care and to utilize mass media to emphasize the importance of complementary feeding practices, especially for mothers with lower educational status.