Drivers of Material Food Choices For Children Under 5 Years in Akuatim District North Eastern Region, Ghana

ABSTRACT

Background: Good nutrition in the early years of life is very crucial for the growth and development of children. Most of the eating and health behaviours developed in the early years of life are likely to persist into adulthood. Food choice is a complex behaviour that is influenced by multiple factors such as environmental, personal and biological factors. Parents, particularly mothers have powerful influence over children’s early food experiences. However, no systematic research has been done on the drivers of maternal food choices for children under 5 years in the Akuapim North District. This study therefore aimed to find out what drives mothers’ food choices for their children. Methods: A community-based study was done using focus group discussions and quantitative survey. The study was conducted in the Akuapim North District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Mothers and their children under 5 years constituted the study population. Quantitative data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression was used to find associations between outcome and predictor variables. Qualitative data was transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually. Results: Among children aged 0-5 months 67.1% were exclusively breastfed and 78.9 % of children aged 6-59 months were fed from at least four food groups. Exclusive breastfeeding was associated with employment status (aOR = 1.378; 95% CI, 0.125-15.193) and educational level (OR = 1.861; 95% CI, 1.040-3.330). Feeding from at least four food groups was associated with family influence (aOR = 0.612; 95% CI, 0.282-1.330), belief to be good for children (aOR = 0.538; 95% CI, 0.232-1.250), staple food preference (aOR = 0.587; 95% CI, 0.276-1.247), availability (aOR = 0.856; 95% CI, 0.399-1.835) and value for money (aOR = 0.648; 95% CI, 0.317-1.324). This study revealed that associations existed between feeding from at least four food groups and v nutritional value (aOR = 0.094; 95% CI, 0.009-0.971) and smell (aOR = 0.377; 95% CI, 0.197- 0.723). Children who were fed from less than four food groups were 3 times more likely to be stunted compared to children fed from at least four food groups (OR = 3.147; 95% CI, 1.652- 5.995). Conclusions: The study found educational level and employment status, mother’s recommendation, food belief to be good for children, staple food preference, availability, value for money, nutritional value, and smell as factors associated with maternal food choice for children under 5 years.