Information and behaviors related to the feeding of mothers with 0-2 aged children

Introduction and Aim: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommend that breastfeeding should be started in the 6th month and that breastfeeding should be given together until the age of 2 years. The aim of this is not to replace breastmilk with supplementary food, but to give the baby in the appropriate time interval because of insufficient breast milk given to the baby 6 months after breastfeeding. Thus, the transition from infant-only breastfeeding to adult-type feeding is completed without any problem and the immunological protection which is of great importance for the baby is aimed to continue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and behaviors of mothers with children aged 0-2 who applied to Dicle University Medical Faculty Family Medicine outpatient clinic. Material and Methods: Our study was cross-sectional and 249 mothers with 0-2 years old children who applied to Dicle University Medical Faculty Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic between 01.08.2018 and 01.11.2018 were included in the study. The height and weight of the children were measured and mothers filled a sociodemographic data form and nutrition questionnaire and their mothers' knowledge and behavior related to feeding of the child were investigated. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 24 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) package program. Results: The mean age of the mothers in our study was 28.7±6.0 and the mean number of children was 2.6±1.7. 16.1% of the mothers were university graduates, 56.6% had normal vaginal births and 22.1% of them lived in a large family. 72.3% of the mothers breastfed their babies in the first hour. 25.3% of mothers cut their babies from breast milk before they were 6 months old. It was seen that 76.7% of mothers gave their babies food. There was a relationship between the education of mothers with 0-2 years of age and the source obtained from breast milk (p<0.001) and supplementary food (p<0.001), but there was no correlation between the time of discontinuation of breastfeeding (p=0.343). Mothers give their babies with breastfeeding, milk delivery mode within the first 1 hour (p<0.001) and revealed a statistically significant difference between feeding time alone with mother's milk (p<0.001). The first time the baby is fed with breast milk in the situation only if there was no significant difference (p=0.590). Conclusion: The better the level of knowledge of mothers with infants aged 0-2 years about breast milk, breastfeeding and transition to supplementary food, the higher the level of knowledge of the community they live in. For this reason, primary health care institutions and health workers who follow the mother and the baby in certain periods since pregnancy and see the newborn first, should play a more effective role in providing parents with information about breast milk and complementary nutrition. KEYWORDS: human milk, nutrition, breast feeding