IYCF Practices, Beliefs, and Influences in SNNP ... - Alive & Thrive

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“To feed the child meat, fish, and egg I have to get a job and earn money. The governmentshould create a job opportunity for me.” -A mother in Chenicha“I never feed the child meat because it is not available here. Even if it is available, we don’tgive meat to children below the age of 5 years. If children start to eat meat at an earlierage, they will share with adults and want to eat more. We get meat once a year during theMesikel holiday.” -A mother in ChenichaMost of the HEWs in Mareka and some in Chenicha and Misha said that the children in theircommunities are not getting a variety of foods for a number of reasons, the biggest reason beingfinancial constraints. Families do not have the ability to buy various types of fruits, vegetables andcereals, so families just prepare food from what is available at home. HEWs also said that mothers donot have adequate knowledge on child feeding practices.“I don’t think children in this community are getting enough food, because foods like egg,banana, mango, avocado, and papaya are not easily available here and mothers also can’tafford to buy them. Mothers are trying their best to feed their children, but they areeconomically poor. Previously mothers used to think that giving only milk is enough forchildren. But after we provide education, they sell some milk and buy fruits and cereals.” -HEW in MarekaSome HEWs in all areas said that children are getting enough food in some cases, when foods wereavailable in the household and when other family members provided help and support to the mother.The VCHPs in Mareka and Misha also feel that children are getting enough food.“…children are getting enough food because families are producing adequate vegetables,fruits, and cereals. They also buy foods that are not available at home from the market.Other family members give advice and money to buy food items from market.” – VCHP inMishaAll the HEWs and the VCHPs said that while they agree with the feeding recommendations to addanimal flesh foods to a child’s food on a daily basis, they did not feel that this was realistic since thesefoods are expensive and not readily available. Some did agree that giving children eggs might be apossible action.Food preparation and hygiene. Mothers take the primary responsibility for preparing food forchildren, sometimes helped by a daughter. In Chenicha, there were also a few cases where thegrandmother decides what to prepare and feeds the child. When mothers are away from the homeduring the day, food is most often prepared ahead of time and left with another family member to feedthe child. In one case in Chenicha, the mother said that her husband would prepare the food and feedthe child in her absence. In the observation households, all of the mothers were seen preparing thefood, with the husband and grandmother looking after the child in a few cases while the mother wasbusy.During the observations, almost all mothers were observed washing their own hands before preparingfood but with water only and not soap. Children’s hands were not washed even though many had theirhands in the food or were trying to feed themselves. Dishes, pots, utensils, and bottles were all washed18
with just water. In most households, food was cooked in part of the hut, often near to where cattle andanimals are kept, and flies were commonly seen resting on children’s faces and on utensils. Motherscooked over open fires, sometimes putting utensils, and in one case, kale, on the dirt floor. This raisedconcern from observers about hygienic conditions in the household. Left-over food for the child wascovered and stored for later use.Support and motivation during feeding. During observations, almost all the children were fed at aseparate time from the rest of the family, with the family eating earlier or later, and in a few cases, nothaving lunch at all. Some village mothers were not willing to be observed and appeared to beembarrassed that they did not have any food in the house to prepare or that they were not planning tofeed their child. Mothers sat with their children, interacted and fed them using their hands as a cup. Inone location, two children aged 10 and 13 months, were fed very thin gruel using bottles.Bottle feeding was reported and observed in all three communities. When asked why bottles are used,mothers explained that bottles are good because they are clean and keep food covered. They stated thatusing a hand to feed is not hygienic and that young children are not able to drink from a cup. Motherssaid that bottles make it easy for others to feed the child and that they are easy for the child to handle,with one mother saying that “a bottle feels like the mother’s breast to the baby so the child goes to sleep easilywhen given a bottle.” Some mothers interviewed, in all three areas, stated that they use bottles when thechild is under 1 year old and that they use spoons, cups, and their hands after they are one year old.Mothers note that thin gruels are most appropriate for young children and that bottles works best withthese gruels.“Before 1 year of age the child takes liquid foods. Bottle is better than my hand in terms ofhygiene since it has a cover. Also, if I am not around I store the gruel in it and others feedthe child easily. After one year the child eats thick foods and other family foods.” -Amother in Misha“Bottle feeding is not good for the baby. If the bottle is left uncovered it could be exposedto flies and children will be sick with diarrhea”. -Another mother from MishaMothers also reported that they use a traditional way of feeding with a cup, in which the mother holdsthe child, supports the child’s chin in her hand, and pours the gruel or other liquid into the child’s mouthfrom a plastic cup. Traditional cups made of clay, korana and bute, were also mentioned for child feedingin Mareka and Misha.When mothers were asked about their child’s appetite, there was a mixed response. Mothers explainedthat they feel their child has a good appetite if their child eats all the food given to him or if they see thattheir child is healthy, fat, and growing well. Mothers mentioned that children have poor appetites whenthey have health problems or a cough. Some mothers stated that younger children are not able to eatmuch food and are expected to have a poor appetite.“Because the child is young I have no method of knowing when the child is hungry. If thechild stops eating it means that he is satisfied because a child can’t stop eating unlesssatisfied. If children are not satisfied they will cry.” -A mother in Mareka19
Page 5: AcknowledgmentsAlive & Thrive ackno
Page 8 and 9: GlossaryAabilaAtekanaBessoBullaChik
Page 10 and 11: contribution towards child growth a
Page 12 and 13: 1. BackgroundIn Ethiopia, A&T’s g
Page 14 and 15: 3.2 Sampling techniquesSite Selecti
Page 16 and 17: • Evening discussions were held t
Page 18 and 19: important for protection. A few mot
Page 20 and 21: Other mothers in these areas with o
Page 22 and 23: Consistency of foods. Children are
Page 24 and 25: In the mother interviews, some moth
Page 28 and 29: When mothers were asked how they en
Page 30 and 31: and gain weight,” “the child wa
Page 32 and 33: • Some mothers are already giving
Page 34 and 35: Mothers explained that husbands are
Page 36 and 37: HEWs. Most mothers who talked about
Page 38 and 39: Working more with VCHPs could also
Page 40 and 41: 5. Summary and Implications for Pro
Page 42: other hand, the potential burden of

IYCF Practices, Beliefs, and Influences in SNNP ... - Alive & Thrive

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