Etude sur la diversification alimentaire chez les nourrissons dans la région d’Ain Témouchent

Abstract

Our work was a quantitative survey, the objective of which was to understand mothers' knowledge about the food diversification of their infants aged 4 to 24 months in Ain Témouchent. The cross-sectional study consists of two different parts, the first part contains two subjects that are linked to each other. The first chapter concerns breastfeeding and their practices, its benefits for the mother and infants, as well as its complications and contraindications for mother-infant. The second chapter discusses complementary feeding, focusing on the age at which food is introduced, the nutritional needs of infants, the preparation of infant formulas, and advice on the subject. The second part of the study concerns a survey on food diversification in infants, in a hospital setting at the specialized Mother-Child hospital. This part was based on data collected from 129 mothers of infants aged between 4 and 24 months, chosen randomly. This study was conducted between January 20 and February 20, 2025, in the commune of Ain Témouchent. For each child, a questionnaire was used to gather information about the characteristics of the infants and parents, as well as feeding practices, including the type of breastfeeding, and the age at which complementary foods were introduced. The nutritional status was assessed by calculating anthropometric indices. The results show that 90% of mothers begin complementary feeding between 4 and 6 months, while 7% start after 6 months, and only 3% start before 4 months. Most mothers practice complementary feeding for their infants based on their personal experience (37%), while others (34%) rely on advice from their relatives or surroundings. However, 25% of mothers seek the opinion of a doctor or dietitian, and only 4% have knowledge from internet research. Vegetables are the first food introduced to the surveyed infants, specifically carrots (34%). Some mothers reported difficulties with their infants (30%), such as refusal of certain foods (like natural cheese, carrots, and potatoes) during food introduction. This study highlights a lack of awareness about the importance of medical or dietary follow-up during complementary feeding. It is recommended to strengthen the information and support provided to parents to ensure a healthy and balanced diet for infants.