Effects of Complementary Feeding Counseling on Appropriate Complementary Feeding Practices and Child Undernutrition

Questions related to complementary feeding practices will be used to measure these practices of mothers for their children (Appropriate/Inappropriate). To measure appropriate complementary feeding practices, we will follow the World Health Organization recommendations for infant and young child feeding practices, continuation of breastfeeding, starting solid, semi-solid or soft foods at 6 months of age, the eight indicators used to calculate the dietary diversity, and the meal frequency will be asked. Minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and consumption of egg and/or flesh food will be determined. Appropriate complementary feeding practice is defined if the four indicators: timely introduction of complementary foods, minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and consumption of egg and/or flesh food are fulfilled. Otherwise, inappropriate if a child's feeding practices do not fulfill even one of the components of appropriate complementary feeding practices.

The child nutritional status (Undernutrition / No Undernutrition) will be determined by measuring the length, weight, and calculating the child's age. Length will be measured using a calibrated length board to the nearest 1mm (0.1cm). Weight will be measured using mechanical hanging scale with weighing pants to the nearest 10g at the time of enrollment and 100g at end-line measurements. Before weighing the child, the weighing scale will be hung securely and set to zero. The child's age will be calculated by subtracting the child's date of birth from the date of baseline data collection. Undernutrition will be defined if a child is considered wasted, or underweight, or stunted. The child is wasted: when the weight-for-length-Z score (WLZ) is <-2 standard deviations; underweight: when weight-for-age Z score (WAZ) is <-2 standard deviations, and stunted: when length-for-age Z score (LAZ) is <-2 standard deviations.