Barriers and facilitators of optimal infant and young child feeding practices during and after common childhood illnesses
An Exploratory Qualitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/ejphn.v7i1.237Keywords:
Barriers, facilitators, IYCF practice, during and after common childhood illnessesAbstract
Background: Optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are essential to meet the nutritional needs of children in the first two years of life. Poor IYCF practices coupled with high rates of infectious disease are the principal proximate causes of under nutrition during the first two years of age.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators of IYCF practices during and after common childhood illnesses in North Shoa Zone, Ethiopia.
Method: A qualitative study was conducted by using 12 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) among health professionals and six Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (n=48) for collecting data from primary caregivers of children aged 6-24 months from May to July, 2021. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. On average, each of the six FGDs had nine participants. The FGDs and KIIs were conducted by using a structured interview guide and were tape-recorded. All FGDs and KIIs were transcribed verbatim into Amharic and translated into English. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to identify and analyze the main concepts and key issues reported by the study participants.
Result: The main barriers to optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices were identified as perceived milk insufficiency, being a working mother, lack of knowledge and awareness, women’s workload, lack of interest and economic problem. In addition, the main facilitators to optimal IYCF practices were being a mother, self-motivation, family support, health professional guidance, and support from other sectors and media exposure.
Conclusion and recommendation: Health professionals play a great role in creating awareness for caregivers regarding the recommended IYCF practices and multisectoral collaboration is recommended to improve IYCF practices during and after common childhood illnesses.
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