Nutritional Knowledge and Complementary Feeding Practices Among Mothers of Infants Aged 6 to 24 Months in Anambra State, South East Nigeria

Complementary feeding introduced at six months of age is a critical determinant of infant nutritional status and development. Inappropriate practices, including early or late introduction and poor dietary diversity, contribute significantly to childhood malnutrition. This cross-sectional descriptive study assesses nutritional knowledge and complementary feeding practices among mothers of infants aged 6 to 24 months in Onitsha and Njikoka local government areas of Anambra State, South East Nigeria. A total of 295 mother-infant pairs were enrolled from child welfare clinics. A validated structured questionnaire assessed maternal knowledge of complementary feeding timing, appropriate foods, meal frequency, and dietary diversity. Infant dietary diversity scores and feeding frequency were computed from 24-hour dietary recall. Results showed that 54.6% of mothers demonstrated adequate knowledge of complementary feeding initiation. Appropriate dietary diversity (five or more food groups) was achieved in only 36.9% of infants. Pap (akamu) as the sole complementary food was the starting option for 49.8% of infants. Meal frequency met WHO recommendations in 61.4% of cases. Significant predictors of poor dietary diversity included low maternal education and household food insecurity. The study recommends enhancing complementary feeding counselling at health facilities, incorporating practical cooking demonstrations into maternal health education, and addressing household-level food security as a structural driver of infant malnutrition. Keywords: complementary feeding, nutritional knowledge, infant, Anambra State, South East Nigeria.