COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FEEDING PRACTICES OF MOTHERS AND STUNTING AMONG UNDER-5 CHILDREN IN UPLAND/RIVERINE AREAS OF RIVERS STATE

Abstract Feeding is a substantial factor influencing the growth and development of every child. The Nigerian child increasingly faces risks of stunting due to poor feeding. This risk is worsened in locations with accessibility constraints. This study aimed at understanding the regional variations in the Feeding Practice (FP) of mothers and the prevalence of stunting in children living in Rivers state. A cross-sectional survey was adopted to collect data from 316 mother/child pairs using a stratified random sampling method. Information on maternal socio-economic status, dietary history of the children, weight and height measurements were recorded. On a 26-point scale, FP was classified as poor (<9), fair (9 - 18) and good (>18). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data collected. The WHO Athro software was used to obtain the Z scores for stunting. The results showed that the mothers in the two areas were about 29 ±5 years and had a minimum of secondary education (about 70.1%). The upland/riverine practice of good FP were 45.9% and 52.0% respectively. Although majority of the children were normal (70.6% and 65.3%), stunting was higher in the riverine area (32.7%) than in the upland area (28.0%). Feeding children patiently (p = 0.026) and fortified meals (p = 0.013) in the upland and serving food on separate plates (p = 0.006) alongside feeding thick-enriched pap (p = 0.001) in the riverine area positively correlated with height-for-age. Therefore, mothers should endeavour to patiently feed their children more frequently with fortified meals.