Feeding problems in a sample of children under 5 years at a primary health-care center in Erbil, Iraq

Background: The feeding issues of children under 5 years of life have effects on overall growth and development. Objectives: This study aimed to find out the prevalence of feeding problems and their associated factors among a sample of children under 5 years visiting a primary health-care center in Erbil city. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the mothers who visited the primary health centers for the medical checkup of their children under 5 years were consecutively screened for the eligibility criteria between February 1, 2020, and June 30, 2020. Results: The children were located in the following age groups: 6–9 months (11.3%), 9–12 months (4.9%), 12–24 months (32.0%), and >24 months (51.7%). The children had an abnormal height for age (8.9%), weight for age (6.9%), and weight for height (14.3%). The prevalence of formula feeding was 49.0% in children. The prevalence of feeding problems was 75.9%, including mono-feeding (20.2%) and multi-feeding issues (55.7%). The prevalence of complementary food was 2.0% only. The prevalence of active feeding was 54.2%. The study showed that younger age group had a significantly higher prevalence of feeding problem (P < 0.001). The study showed that children with abnormal weight for age were more likely to have feeding problems compared to those with a normal weight for age (100% vs. 74.1%, P = 0.019), respectively. Conclusions: The present study showed that a considerable percentage of children have feeding issues. The feeding issues were higher in younger age groups.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-SA

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