Dawson Emily, Futa Ahmed, Klappe Maaike, Cerami Carla, Davies-Kershaw Hilary
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, England, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, Banjul, N/A, The Gambia.
Wellcome Open Res. 2025 Jul 23;10:65. doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.23090.2. eCollection 2025.
In The Gambia, many children consume diets that are lacking in nutrients that are essential for their growth and development. This study aims to explore Gambian mothers' and grandmothers' perceptions around animal source foods (meat, eggs, milk etc.) in order to inform future interventions focused on improving child feeding practices.
In July and August 2023, nine semi - structured focus group discussions were conducted with mothers and grandmothers in two settings in The Gambia. A purposeful sample of participants were recruited with the support of each local Medical Research Council clinic. Data were analysed using the framework method and thematic analysis. Participants included 19 mothers and 12 grandmothers in a semi-rural area and 12 mothers and 12 grandmothers in a rural area, caring for children 6-24 and grandmothers were in separate groups.
Knowledge gaps were identified in both settings regarding aspects of complementary feeding, such as the appropriate timing and methods for introducing animal source foods to children's diets. Differences were noted in the availability and dissemination of infant and young child feeding information in the two settings, emphasising the crucial role of contextual factors in shaping future programmes. The accessibility and affordability of animal source foods, was found to be a key determinant of their inclusion into children's diets. A reliance on commercially available complementary foods was common in both settings.
This study reveals disparities between current complementary feeding practices and guidelines in this setting. It also underscores context-specific barriers caregivers encounter in offering diverse complementary foods, including animal source foods. A high reliance on commercially available complementary foods was also uncovered, particularly in Keneba. Further research is recommended to aid the development of context- specific interventions.
在冈比亚，许多儿童的饮食缺乏对其生长发育至关重要的营养素。本研究旨在探讨冈比亚母亲和祖母对动物源食物（肉类、蛋类、奶类等）的看法，以便为未来旨在改善儿童喂养习惯的干预措施提供参考。
2023年7月和8月，在冈比亚的两个地区与母亲和祖母进行了九次半结构化焦点小组讨论。在每个当地医学研究理事会诊所的支持下，有目的地抽取了参与者样本。使用框架法和主题分析法对数据进行分析。参与者包括半农村地区的19名母亲和12名祖母，以及农村地区的12名母亲和12名祖母，她们照顾6至24个月的儿童，母亲和祖母分在不同组。
在两个地区都发现了在辅食喂养方面的知识差距，比如向儿童饮食中引入动物源食物的适当时间和方法。注意到两个地区在婴幼儿喂养信息的可得性和传播方面存在差异，强调了背景因素在制定未来项目中的关键作用。动物源食物的可及性和可负担性被发现是其纳入儿童饮食的关键决定因素。在两个地区，依赖商业可得的辅食都很常见。
本研究揭示了该地区当前辅食喂养做法与指南之间的差异。它还强调了照顾者在提供包括动物源食物在内的多样化辅食时遇到的特定背景障碍。还发现对商业可得辅食的高度依赖，尤其是在凯内巴。建议进一步开展研究，以帮助制定因地制宜的干预措施。
