Maternal determinants of feeding practices among children under two years in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Introduction: Optimum feeding practices can help children under two years old achieve a pivotal period of growth, health, behaviour and intellectual development. However, suboptimal feeding practices are still found in developing countries, and are influenced by maternal factors. We aim to investigate maternal education, employment, age, and feeding practices among children under two years old in Sleman District, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional design involving 388 mothers who had 0-24 months old children. The subjects were taken from the Sleman Health and Demographic Surveillance System, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada in 2019. The association between maternal determinants and feeding practice was analyzed using fisher's exact and chi-square test. Results: 21.1 of children were started on infant formula at 0-6 months old. The first initiation of fruits, milk enriched porridge, and soft foods was mainly in 6-9 months old infants (63.1; 46.6; 49.0), once (74.7), twice (48.8) and three times daily (46.1), respectively. 30.9 of children had been given solid foods in >12 months old, three times daily (66.3). There was a significant association between maternal employment to the first initiation and the daily frequency of infant formula (p<0.001 and p=0.008), maternal education to the daily frequency of fruits (p=0.020) and soft foods (p=0.013) feeding. Conclusion: Maternal education and employment are associated with feeding practices among children under two years old. Education on child feeding is recommended to increase their practice. © 2021 UPM Press. All rights reserved.