Feeding practices are associated with childhood malaria and their severity. Most children 0 to 2years experience malaria and feeding practices may play a major role in the occurrence of this disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between feeding practice among children below 2 years with malaria in Buea, Tiko and Limbe health districts. A cross-sectional hospital-based survey study was carried out in three Health Districts (Limbe, Buea and Tiko) in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. A total of 1155 mothers attending infant welfare clinics across six hospitals were included. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on feeding practices as well as socio-demographic factors. The study revealed that the prevalence of malaria was 21.1%. All feeding habits were associated with malaria (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, children who were not breastfed reported the highest prevalence of malaria (62.5%). Malaria positive status increased with age. Among the mothers, the age group that reported significantly (P < 0.001) higher prevalence of malaria was 32 – 38 years (29.0%) for malaria. Level of education was associated with malaria as well as monthly family income (P < 0.05). Exclusive breastfeeding was practiced by 55.5% of the mothers, whereas complementary feeding was practiced by 45.5%. The highest proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfed their children was from Limbe (61.6%), followed by Buea (59.3%) and the least from Tiko (45.6%). The occurrence of malaria and its association with socio-demographic factors cannot be undermined.
Feeding, Socio-demographic, Association, Malaria, Buea, Tiko, Limbe, Cameroon
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