Knowledge and Expressed Practice regarding Weaning among Mothers of Children aged between 6 months to 2 years

Weaning begins from the moment supplementary food is started and continues until the child is taken off the breast completely. Breast milk alone is not able to provide sufficient amount of all the nutrients needed to maintain growth after the 6 months. The complementary food includes usually cow's milk fruit juice, soft cooked rice, dhal and vegetables. Weaning food should be carefully chosen to complement the nutritional need of baby, promote appropriate nutrient intake and maintain growth.

This descriptive study was conducted on mothers attending outpatient department and ward of All India of Institute of Medical Science, Jodhpur. 70 women havening children age of 6month to 2 years were enrolled in the study via convenience sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interview. Reliability of self-structured knowledge questionnaire was determined by KR 20 method and found reliable (0.73). Data collected were analysed for frequency, mean, standard deviation and correlation of coefficient.

The overall mother mean knowledge score is 18.11+3.37. There was high correlation between knowledge and practice score (p = 0.9488).

Result of the study provided information that maximum number of participants had average knowledge about weaning.