Nutritional and Health Status of Infants Under Six Months of Age in El-Obeid City, North Kordofan State

Abstract

Background and Objective: This study was conducted at Elfatih Elnour Health Centre, El-Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan. The study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of infants under six months of age. Materials and Methods: Forty-five infants were selected randomly from 150 infants who visited the centre for following up the growth monitoring. Primary data were collected using structured interview questionnaire and anthropometric measurements then analysed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 16. Results: Study results revealed that, most of mothers (87%) initiated breastfeeding after birth and 76% of them breastfed their infants at the first hour after birth. Fifty-eight percent of mothers gave their infants water and artificial or animal milk before six months. Most respondents (98%) continued breast feeding and 51% of them started complementary feeding before six months. Concerning bottle feeding, 38% of respondents used them for drinking and feeding. Study findings indicated that all respondents weaned gradually due to maternal illness. Most of mothers (98%) were followed up by health cadres. There were no any signs of vitamin A deficiency among respondents. Concerning wasting measures, respondents appeared to have normal weight (70%), obese (6%), underweight (20%) and severely underweight (4%). Stunting measures, revealed that respondents were normal (91%), very tall (5%) and stopped growth (4%). Statistical analyses showed that there were no significant correlations between the initiation of complementary feeding and the continuing breastfeeding, the bottle feeding and the diseases affecting the respondents, the awareness and the monthly visit to the centre to monitor the respondents' weight, the gender of respondents and the diseases affecting respondents, the number of under-five members and the awareness of respondents’ mother. Conclusion: The study revealed generally good breastfeeding practices among mothers attending Elfatih Elnour Health Centre. Nevertheless, early introduction of complementary feeding and non-breast milk liquids before six months remains a significant concern. Nutritional education and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding are necessary to improve nutritional and health outcomes in the study area.