An Integrated Education Intervention Improves the Feeding Frequency of Infants and Young Children in the Upper Manya Krobo District of Ghana

Abstract

Childhood malnutrition is partly due to inappropriate complementary feeding (CF) practices. The effect of two education interventions on young child feeding practices was evaluated in the Upper Manya Krobo district of Ghana. A total of 32 child growth monitoring centers were randomly assigned to either of two intervention groups [integrated nutrition and agriculture education (IE) or nutrition education (NE)], or the control (CT) group. Over six months, mothers of children 6-24 months old in both intervention groups received monthly nutrition education delivered by community health volunteers; additionally, mothers in the IE group received agricultural education from extension agents. Information on complementary feeding practices and dietary intakes of study children were collected at baseline and at three-month intervals for nine months. Intention-to-treat analysis was complemented by a sub-sample analysis to determine the effect of attendance to education sessions on outcomes. At the end of the study, children in the IE were twice as likely to meet the minimum meal frequency compared to the CT children (aOR = 2.62; 95% CI; 1.11, 6.16), but energy, calcium, and iron intakes from complementary foods did not differ between the three groups. Additionally, children of mothers who attended at least one nutrition education session in the IE group tended to receive the minimum acceptable diet (aOR = 2.30, 95% CI; 0.98, 5.39, p = 0.055) compared to children in the CT group at the end of the study. Compliance to the intervention was low, with almost half of intervention mothers (45%) never attending an education session. A combined agriculture and nutrition education led to improved meal frequency among young children in the Upper Manya Krobo district of Ghana. Thus, this is one of the strategies that can be used to address sub-optimal complementary feeding practices in rural areas, where farming is a major source of employment.