Thực trạng nuôi con bằng sữa mẹ, thực hành ăn bổ sung, tình hình nuôi dưỡng và bệnh tật của trẻ từ 5-6 tháng tuổi tại huyện Phổ Yên, tỉnh Thái Nguyên

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 322 children aged 5-6 months in Pho Yen District, Thai Nguyen Province to describe breastfeeding and complementary feeding practice, diseases and nutrition care during child ilIness. The results showed that 44.4 percent children was introduced to breast milk during half hour after birth, 15.2 percent children 24h after birth; more than 50 percent children was given others foods before first breastfeeding, about 90 percent children was given complementary foods at age below 4 months; 10.4 percent at age of 4-5 months and 0.7 percent at age of 5-6 months, average age of children was introduced to complementary foods wa$ 3.4 months; the foods common used for complementary foods were various type of rice flour, instant flours (70.3 percent), meats, fishes, eggs only (32.8 percent), the rea$ons for early introduction of complementary foods Were mother busy (54.9 percent), mothers having not enough breast milk (16.9 percent); improper nutrition care for illness children: 52.2 percent and 5.3 percent mothers gave more and less breast milks to children when their children got sick respectively; percentage of children with infection diseases was still high: percentage of children suffered from diarrhea and upper respiratory infection 2 week prior to study were 21.7 percent and 27.6 percent respectively. Propaganda and education on breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding as recommended by the WHO for mothers in the study location should be strengthen to reduce infection diseases such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections and consequently to contribute to improve children's nutritional status.