Social realities in remote villages: Infant and young child feeding in Kirewa, Uganda

Understanding infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in Africa requires an examination of the social context. Social relationships influence people through mechanisms such as social support, social influence, social engagement, access to resources and negative social interactions. This study explores how these mechanisms manifest in IYCF in remote villages in Uganda. In 2018, we conducted two focus group discussions each with mothers, fathers and grandparents, ande interviews with two clan leaders, six village health teamers (VHT) and four healthcare workers (HCW). We deductively searched the data for any indications of elements that could influence child feeding and health using the psychosocial mechanisms of social support, social influence, social engagement, access to resources and negative social interactions as the broader themes. The manifestation of social support involved practical help from mothers-in-law (MIL), financial contributions from fathers, and informational, instrumental, emotional and appraisal support from VHTs. Social influence by MILs mainly concerned the transmission of food-related beliefs and pressure to have many children. The social engagement of young mothers was restricted. Access to resources was stratified and affected by poverty, patriarchy, and knowledge of HCWs and VHTs. Negative social interactions included physical abuse, alcoholism, and fear-based relationships. We found the different psychosocial mechanisms to construct a useful framework for describing the social reality surrounding IYCF. Changing attitudes towards family planning, involving fathers in IYCF, and strengthening the position of VHTs as family advisers can potentially improve IYCF in rural Uganda.