Nutritional Status and Feeding Practices of Children Aged 0 to 36 Months in Thulamela Municipality, Limpopo Province

Background: Poor Infant and young child feeding practices accounts for nutrients deficiency, illness and infections in children that lead to malnutrition at an early age. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional status and feeding practices of children aged 0 to 36 months in Thulamela Municipality. Methods: : A cross-sectional survey was conducted between September and December 2019 in Thulamela Municipality. A total number of 250 mother-child pair were recruited in the study using a convenience sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to interview mothers. Anthropometric measurements of children were assessed using standard procedure. Anthropometric measurements were calculated using WHO Anthro version 3.2.2. The data obtained were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) version 26. Results: : The mean (± SD) age of children in months was 10.53 (8.39). Exclusive breastfeeding up to six months was practised by only 7.6% of mothers while 87.5% of mothers introduced complementary feeding before the age of six months. The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight were 9.2%, 2% and 3.6% respectively. About 38.1% of children who received water before six months of age were more likely to be stunted as compared to their counterparts (19.9%) (p=0.001). Children who were given complementary foods one week after birth, the odds of being underweight were 9.00 times as compared to those who were given complementary foods after six months (OR=9.00; 95% CI=1.325 - 61.138).