The practices of caretakers regarding infant nutrition at Apac General Hospital, Apac district, Uganda. Cross-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/enp16r85Keywords:
Infant nutrition, Exclusive breastfeeding, Caretaker practices, Maternal education, Child health, Nutritional counseling, Apac General HospitalAbstract
Background:
Optimal infant nutrition is essential for child survival, growth, and development. In Uganda, inappropriate infant feeding practices continue to contribute to undernutrition and poor child health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the practices of caretakers regarding infant nutrition at Apac General Hospital in Apac District, Uganda.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among caretakers of infants aged 0–12 months attending the child health clinic at Apac General Hospital. A sample size of 96 caretakers was determined using the Kish and Leslie (1965) method. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were checked for completeness, coded, and entered into SPSS version 26 for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the findings.
Results:
Most respondents were aged 18–24 years (54.2%) and were biological mothers (62.5%). Over half had secondary education (52.1%), and the majority were farmers (45.8%). About 62.5% of infants were exclusively breastfed for the first six months, while 37.5% were not. Among those who did not practice exclusive breastfeeding, 44.4% introduced other foods at 4–5 months, mainly due to inadequate breast milk (41.7%). The majority of caregivers (63.5%) received information on exclusive breastfeeding from health workers. Complementary foods were mostly introduced after six months (62.5%), with animal-source foods (45.8%) and porridge (31.2%) commonly given. Most infants (63.5%) received five or more meals per day, and 59.4% of caregivers reported following consistent feeding routines.
Conclusion:
Most caretakers practiced exclusive breastfeeding and maintained adequate feeding frequency, although some introduced complementary foods earlier than recommended.
Recommendations:
Health workers should strengthen nutrition education on exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding to improve infant feeding practices.
References
1. Acen, A., Opio, J., & Okello, P. (2023). Factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding practices in Northern Uganda. Uganda Journal of Health Sciences, 12(1), 45–53.
2. Akello, L. (2023). Child nutrition and undernutrition trends in Uganda: A national perspective. Uganda Health Review, 15(2), 12–19.
3. Alupo, R. (2021). Socio-cultural influences on infant feeding practices in rural Uganda. African Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 7(3), 23–31.
4. Anderson, S. (2021). Infant feeding and child survival: Global perspectives. International Journal of Pediatrics, 9(4), 112–120.
5. Brown, A., & Lee, M. (2021). Breastfeeding practices in high-income countries: A review. Maternal and Child Nutrition, 17(1), e13001.
6. Choudhury, N. (2022). Cultural norms and infant feeding behaviors in sub-Saharan Africa. African Health Sciences, 22(2), 211–220.
7. Kumar, R. (2022). Exclusive breastfeeding and infant immunity. Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 10(3), 145–153.
8. Li, H., Wang, Y., & Suzuki, S. (2021). Complementary feeding practices in infants aged 6–12 months: A multi-country study. Nutrients, 13(6), 1872.
9. Luwedde, F. (2021). Infant nutrition policies and complementary feeding in Uganda. Uganda Journal of Public Health, 14(2), 55–63.
10. Miller, D. (2023). Commercial promotion of breastmilk substitutes and their impact on infant feeding. Global Health Action, 16(1), 220–228.
11. Mohammed, S., Nyarko, P., & Kabir, H. (2025). Feeding frequency and nutritional adequacy among infants in low-resource settings. International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 14(1), 33–44.
12. Mwangi, J. (2023). Long-term health outcomes of optimal infant feeding practices. East African Journal of Pediatrics, 20(1), 67–75.
13. Nyarko, R. (2022). Socioeconomic determinants of infant feeding in sub-Saharan Africa. BMC Nutrition, 8(1), 1–10.
14. Omondi, J. (2021). Healthcare system barriers to optimal infant nutrition in Uganda. African Journal of Health Policy, 9(2), 88–96.
15. Osei, E. (2021). Global trends in exclusive breastfeeding. International Breastfeeding Journal, 16(1), 56–64.
16. Okello, P. (2023). Understanding infant feeding behaviors for community-based interventions in Northern Uganda. Uganda Journal of Nutrition, 11(2), 101–110.
17. Opio, J. (2022). Infant feeding practices among mothers attending health facilities in Northern Uganda. African Health Sciences, 22(1), 77–85.
18. Parents, S. (2023). Infant feeding guidelines and practices in Europe: Comparative perspectives. Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 18(1), 12–25.
19. Victora, C., Bahl, R., Barros, A., França, G., Horton, S., Krasevec, J., ... & Rollins, N. (2022). Breastfeeding in the 21st century: Epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effects. The Lancet, 387(10017), 475–490.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Shadrack Owinya, Lamex Ogwal, Denis Obong, Tonny Mike Omara, Ronald Awoi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
