Assessment of Hygienic Practice on Complementary Food among Mothers with 6–24 Months Age Living Young Children in Mohoni Town, North Eastern Ethiopia, 2015

Abstract

Timely introduction of appropriate complementary foods promotes good nutritional status and growth in infants and young children. Inadequate sanitary conditions and poor hygiene practices play major roles in the increased burden of communicable disease within developing countries. Inadequate food hygiene is considered to be one of the major contributors to diarrhea. The objective of this study was to assess awareness and hygienic practices on complementary food among mothers with 6–24 months children in Mohoni town north eastern Ethiopia. A community based cross sectional study was conducted in Mohoni town on north eastern part of Ethiopia, on awareness and hygienic practice among mothers with 6–24 months age living young children on complementary food from 5 March to 14 June, 2015, on 198 study participants by using simple random sampling technique. Data was collected through structured questionnaire and was entered through EPI version and then was analyzed by SPSS version 16. Out of the total 198 study subjects planned, 198 study subjects were interviewed giving a response rate of 100%. The mean age of the respondents (mothers) was 23.9 years with standard deviation of 4.85 and the mean age of the children was 13.2 months with standard deviation of 5.36. The majority 158 (79.9%) of respondents were orthodox followers. Out of 198 children of age group 6–24 months, 174 (87.9%) children were started with complementary food. The finding of the study showed that mothers had moderate knowledge towards awareness and hygienic practice on complementary food. It was recommended to Mohoni health bureau and Mohoni health extension workers that it was better to provide health education for mothers for further awareness on hygienic practice while preparing complementary food.

Keywords: Hygiene, complementary food, Mohoni

Cite this Article

Gebre Yitayih, Kiros Belay, Mahlet Tsegaye. Assessment of Hygienic Practice on Complementary Food among Mothers with 6–24 Months Age Living Young Children in Mohoni Town, North Eastern Ethiopia, 2015. Research and Reviews: Journal of Immunology. 2016; 6(1): 6–11p.