INFANT AND CHILD (0-15YEARS) NUTRITIONAL PRACTICES IN A COMMUNITY IN KAURA LOCAL GOVERNMENT, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Background: Nutrition impacts the development process at every stage of the life cycle from conception to death. According to the WHO, nutrition is a foundation for health and wellbeing for all, leaving no one behind, and a key element of primary health care, and plays an essential role in prevention. This study aims to assess the Nutritional and Dietary Practices in Children (0-15years) in the Community in Kaura Local Government, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Methodology: The study was a household-level community-based cross-sectional descriptive study to assess the infant and child nutritional practices among the residents of Kagoro community in Kaura Local Government Area. The study was carried out quantitatively among households with children aged 0-15 as at their last birthday among the residents of Fada and Agban wards. Data were collected from 1035 with a structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software. Result: Carbohydrates (98.4%) constitute the majority of the food eaten by the children in the community. Proteins (82.0%) and roughages (75.0%) constitute one of the least eaten foods in the community due to the cost of acquiring these food types. Most children also eat 3 times in a day (69.6%). About one-third (30.7%) of mothers introduced the addition of complementary foods, and about 69.3% of mothers breastfed exclusively to their infants before the age of 6 months. 85.2% of children have good nutritional practices as they have been fed with 5 major classes of food, which include (carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oil, minerals and roughages) while an average of 14.5% has poor nutritional practices. More also 69.1% has good dietary practices while 24.8% have fair dietary practices and 5.0% has poor dietary practices. From the assessment of infant nutritional practices, 98.6% of mothers breastfeed their children while 1.0% do not., 89.2% breastfed for more than 6months while 6.5% for only 6months while 2.4% breastfed for less than 6months, 68.4% Exclusively breastfed while 29.8% did not more also only 12.3% breastfed for up to 24months while only 60.5 % breast for 13-18months Conclusion: Good nutrition is essential to good health; thus, efforts towards sustaining the high rate of exclusive breastfeeding, healthy nutritional and dietary practices will ensure healthy growth and development of the children.