Complimentary Feeding: Knowledge and Practices among Female Tea Garden Workers
Dr. Nushrat Choudhury
MPH Fellow, Department of Health Education, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh. nusrat@gmail.com
Dr. Md. Azharul Islam
BDS, Consultant, Cumilla Medical Centre, Kandirpar, Cumilla, Bangladesh.
Prof. Dr. Kazi Jahangir Hossain
Principal, Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College, Uttara, Dhaka-1230, Bangladesh.
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Hadi Khan
Assistant Professor (Dental Public Health) and Deputy Program Manager (Admin and Finance), National TB Control Program (NTP), Leprosy Hospital Compound, TB Gate, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Professor Dr. Hafiza Sultana
Professor and Head, Department of Health Education, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Mst. Aysha Siddika
Senior Staff Nurse (SSN), M Abdur Rahim Medical College and Hospital, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Dr. Humaira Tul Jannat
MPH Fellow (Hospital Management), Department of Public Health and Hospital Administration, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Dr. Md Golam Abbas
PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH), National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh. abbasgolam@yahoo.com
Keywords: Knowledge, Practice, Complementary feeding, Female tea garden workers
Abstract
Background: Complementary feeding is needed when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants. Female tea garden workers lead a life with very poor income, lack of knowledge and do not have proper time to nourish their children.
Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of complementary feeding among female tea garden workers.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among three hundred one female tea garden workers who had 6-24 months of children and were selected conveniently. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews through a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire.
Result: The mean age of respondents was 25.34±5.15 years. About one-fourth (23.9%) of the respondents were illiterate and their average monthly family income was Tk.2840.53. Female tea garden workers who read beyond Class-V had better knowledge (p<0.05) of starting complementary feeding at the age of 6 months and had better practice in complementary feeding (p<0.05). Among the respondents 44.5% had good and 48.8% had satisfactory knowledge whereas only 7.6% had good and 76.1% had satisfactory practice. Female tea factory workers had knowledge of starting complementary feeding at the age of 6 months (p<0.05) than other workers. An educated group who read beyond Class-V had better knowledge about the number of feeding more than 12 months’ children (p<0.001), malnutrition (p<0.05) as risk of delaying complementary feeding and knowledge from health professionals (p<0.05). The practice of scheduled feeding was also better who read beyond Class V. Those family incomes were more than Tk.10000 per month, family had better practice of giving breast feeding on demand of child (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Knowledge needs to be practiced in complementary feeding. School education should be mandatory for tea garden worker’s children. For the improvement of the situation, nutrition awareness programs through healthcare providers and the media should be strengthened.
M Abdur Rahim Medical College Journal, 2023 Jul; 16(2)