Access this article online Website: http://www.ijmsph.com Quick Response Code: DOI: 10.5455/ijmsph.2015.13102014133 International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health | 2015 | Vol 4 | Issue 5 647 International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Online 2015. © 2015 Shailee N Vyas. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license. Research Article Complementary feeding practices among mothers of Waghodia Taluka of Vadodara: a knowledge, attitude, and practice study Bhadra Y Trivedi 1 , Shailee N Vyas 2 , Bhavin S Dave 2 , Khyati A Desai 2 1 Department of Pediatrics, Smt. B.K. Shah Medical Institute & Research Center and Dhiraj General Hospital, Piparia, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. 2 Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Surat, Gujarat, India. Correspondence to: Shailee N Vyas, E-mail: shaileenvyas@gmail.com Received October 13, 2014. Accepted January 11, 2015 complementary feeding. [1] Breast-feeding and other dietary practices adapted by mother refect the nutritional status of the child. Breast-fed infants and children grow normally during the frst 6 months of their life and show slow growth during the transitional period of weaning because they do not get enough nutritious foods. Rate of malnutrition usually peaks at this time with consequences that persist throughout life. Stunting is seldom reversed in later childhood and adolescence. Appro- priate complementary feeding promotes growth and prevents stunting among children between 6 and 24 months of age. Aim and Objectives This study aimed to document the knowledge, attitude, and practices pertaining to complementary feeding among the mothers of Waghodia Taluka of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Background: Well-being of child is directly related to the nutritional status of the baby. Malnutrition rate increases between 6 and 18 months—the period of complementary feeding. Appropriate complementary feeding promotes growth and prevents stunting among children aged between 6 and 24 months. Objective: To document the knowledge, attitude, and practices pertaining to complementary feeding among the mothers of Waghodia Taluka of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the conveniently enrolled 250 mothers of Waghodiya Taluka of Vadodara having at least one child less than 2 years of age. Data were entered and analyzed using Excel 2007 and Epi Info 7 software. Results: Cow’s milk was most common (44.4%) introductory food item. Around 58% mothers fed their children less than fve times a day. Around 75% mothers fed their children by themselves; 17% were unaware about measures for maintaining hygiene. Most common illnesses associated with poor feeding as described by mothers were diarrhea (30%) and vomiting (22%). Literate mothers were observed to feed their children 2.4 times more if they had developed diarrhea (χ 2 = 9.2986, df = 1, p < 0.01; OR = 2.4209; 1.3610–4.3063) and 3 times more during the episode of fever (χ 2 = 6.8517, df = 1, p < 0.01; OR = 3.3962; 1.3002–8.8713). Conclusion: Improper feeding practices were associated with education status of mothers. Knowledge about hygiene practices and illnesses related to poor feeding was also found less and both required more attention. KEY WORDS: Complimentary feeding, maternal education Abstract Introduction Well-being of child is directly related to the nutritional status of the baby. Malnutrition not only weakens the child but also increases the risk of child mortality. Malnutrition rate increases between 6 and 18 months, the period of