Demirel Ozbek Yagmur, Celik Isa, Sahin Bilgin Aysenur
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey.
Department of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 3;20(1):e0314694. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314694. eCollection 2025.
The process that begins around the 6th month of life and continues until the 24th month is called the complementary feeding period. During this period, infants and children start receiving foods that complement breast milk or formula for the first time. The psychosocial factors the infants and children encounter during this period may affect their growth and health in later life. This cross-sectional and descriptive study aimed to examine the factors influencing behaviors of infants and children during complementary feeding. The study sample included 345 mothers with infants and children aged 6-24 months. The research data were collected using two forms and one scale. The first form contained questions about the mothers' sociodemographic characteristics, sources of support in childcare, and information sources related to complementary feeding. The second form contained questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of infants and children, the presence of allergies, breastfeeding, and feeding status. The scale used was the validated Behaviors of Transition to Complementary Feeding Scale. The effect of independent variables on behavior of infants and children during complementary feeding was examined using multiple linear regression analysis. Infants/children older than 12 months exhibited more negative behaviors during complementary feeding compared with those aged 6-12 months. The study also found that being the first infant/child in the family had a negative impact on behaviors during complementary feeding. Infants and children currently receiving only complementary feeding displayed more positive behaviors during the complementary feeding process. Paternal support in childcare positively influenced behaviors during this period. In conclusion, complementary feeding is a multifaceted process influenced by various factors, including the infant's and child's age, family dynamics, and parental support. Strategies to support mothers, involve fathers, and provide reliable information can facilitate a smoother process of complementary feeding and promote healthier feeding behaviors in infants and children. Descriptive, interventional, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies are required to analyze these factors in detail and improve the complementary feeding process.
始于生命第6个月左右并持续至第24个月的这个过程被称为辅食添加期。在此期间，婴幼儿首次开始接受补充母乳或配方奶的食物。婴幼儿在此期间遇到的心理社会因素可能会影响他们日后的生长和健康。这项横断面描述性研究旨在探讨影响婴幼儿辅食添加行为的因素。研究样本包括345名有6至24个月大婴幼儿的母亲。研究数据通过两种表格和一种量表收集。第一种表格包含有关母亲社会人口学特征、育儿支持来源以及与辅食添加相关的信息来源的问题。第二种表格包含有关婴幼儿社会人口学特征、过敏情况、母乳喂养和喂养状况的问题。所使用的量表是经过验证的《向辅食添加过渡行为量表》。使用多元线性回归分析检验自变量对婴幼儿辅食添加行为的影响。与6至12个月大的婴幼儿相比，12个月以上的婴幼儿在辅食添加期间表现出更多负面行为。研究还发现，作为家庭中的第一个婴幼儿对辅食添加期间的行为有负面影响。目前仅接受辅食喂养的婴幼儿在辅食添加过程中表现出更积极的行为。父亲在育儿方面的支持对这一时期的行为有积极影响。总之，辅食添加是一个受多种因素影响的多方面过程，包括婴幼儿的年龄、家庭动态和父母支持。支持母亲、让父亲参与并提供可靠信息的策略可以促进更顺利的辅食添加过程，并促进婴幼儿更健康的喂养行为。需要进行描述性、干预性、定性和混合方法研究，以详细分析这些因素并改善辅食添加过程。
