COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING PRACTICES AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

  • Authors:Oladele Fathia Olawumi, Enoch Oluwatosin Fakayode, L. O. Oladimeji
  • Publication Date:October 29, 2026
  • Type:
  • DOL:https://doi.org/10.52403/ijphd.20262308
  • Publication On:International Journal of Public Health and Disease Control
  • Volume/Issue:OCTOBER 2026 VOL. 1

Abstract

Background: Child growth and survival hinge heavily on what happens once breast milk alone is no longer enough and complementary foods need to be introduced alongside continued breastfeeding. In Nigeria, this transition is still often handled poorly. This study examined what lactating mothers attending primary health care (PHC) facilities in Ilorin West Local Government Area (LGA), Kwara State, actually know and do around complementary feeding, and the factors they report as influencing their practice.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used, surveying 355 lactating mothers of infants aged 6–23 months across eight PHC facilities selected through a three-stage sampling process. Data were collected with a structured, pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 27.0.

Results: Nearly two-thirds of respondents (65.6%) had good overall knowledge of complementary feeding, and most (70.4%) introduced complementary foods at the recommended six-month mark, though 7.9% started early and 20.0% started late. About 65.1% of infants met the minimum dietary diversity threshold, but solid or family-food consistency remained rare, at just 9.0%. Cost of food was the biggest barrier to good practice, cited by 68.5% of respondents, while health-worker advice was the most widely reported positive influence: 96.9% had received it and said it influenced their feeding practice, although only 35.5% named it among the factors shaping their choice of food. Knowledge and practice were significantly correlated, though only moderately (r = 0.379, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Complementary feeding practice in Ilorin West LGA appears to hinge on three things working together: what mothers know, what their households can afford, and the quality of guidance received at PHC facilities. Counselling that moves beyond general awareness into specific food groups and texture progression, paired with efforts to ease household economic pressure, would likely do the most to close the gap between what mothers know and what they are able to practice.

Keywords: Complementary feeding; Lactating mothers; Dietary diversity; Primary health care; Infant nutrition; Kwara State, Nigeria

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APA 7th Edition

Oladele Fathia Olawumi, Enoch Oluwatosin Fakayode, L. O. Oladimeji (2026). COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING PRACTICES AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA. Home of Research Journal.

MLA 9th Edition

Oladele Fathia Olawumi, Enoch Oluwatosin Fakayode, L. O. Oladimeji “COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING PRACTICES AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA.” Home of Research, 2026.

Harvard

Oladele Fathia Olawumi, Enoch Oluwatosin Fakayode, L. O. Oladimeji (2026) COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING PRACTICES AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA, Home of Research.

Chicago Style

Oladele Fathia Olawumi, Enoch Oluwatosin Fakayode, L. O. Oladimeji “COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING PRACTICES AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA.” Home of Research. 2026.