Age at Weaning between WHO Recommendations and Malpractice in Sharkia Governorate

Background: The introduction of complementary food during the first 6 months of infant’s age known as early weaning. Early weaning occurs due to many factors. Determining these factors could help to overcome this faulty habit. Objectives: To assess the frequency of early weaning and to determine associated factors among mothers in Sharkia governorate - Egypt.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 331 infants. Three healthcare facilities were selected to represent rural and urban areas. Participants’ data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, the timing and causes of early weaning, non-nutritive sucking habits and the timing of first teeth eruption were collected via semi-structured questionnaire.
Results: The study revealed that the highest percentage (47%) of age at weaning for infants’ in Sharkia governorate was 3-5 months. Two hundreds and thirteen mothers (64.4%) in the sample had weaned their babies before the age of 6 months, (17.2%) of them weaned their babies before the age of 3 months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that infants had a time of 1st tooth eruption before 6 months, their mothers did not receive follow up postnatal care from the affiliated health unit, their mothers work for more than 6 hours per day or for more than 5 days per week, had birth weight < 3500 g, were breastfed and had non-nutritive sucking habits were more likely to be weaned before the age of 6 months. Conclusion: There is a large gap between WHO’s recommendations and infants’ feeding practice in Sharkia governorate. So further public health interventions are required to overcome this gap.