Abstract:
Background: Poor feeding practices for sick infant and young child significantly contribute
to childhood morbidity and mortality. This issue poses a significant problem in low-and middle-income countries. However, there is a lack of information about sick child feeding practices and their associated factors in Ethiopia, particularly in Jimma City.
Objective: To assess sick child feeding practice and associated factors among caregivers of
children under 24 months of age attending governmental health facilities in Jimma City, 2023
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 20 to June 20,
2023, among 415 participants using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using pretested, structured questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. The collected data were entered into Epidata version 4.6 and exported to Statistical Package for Social
Science version 25.0 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses
were used to identify factors associated with sick child feeding practices. An adjusted odds
ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to determine the strength of the
association. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05.
Results: Results: The magnitude of good feeding practice of sick child was 40.20% (95% CI:
35.50, 44.98). Caregivers having secondary education [AOR = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.25, 6.00],
college or university education [AOR = 5.06, 95% CI: 2.02, 12.69],being a housewife [AOR
= 2.00, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.27], having an infant and young child feeding counseling [AOR =
2.09, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.50], good knowledge of sick child feeding [AOR = 3.49, 95% CI: 2.01,
6.04], having postnatal care visit [AOR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.30, 3.49], caregivers from food
secure household [AOR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.64] were the significant factors associated
with good feeding practice for sick child.
Conclusion and recommendation: In the current study, the magnitude of good feeding practice for sick children was moderate as compared to other studies. Hence, it is imperative to
implement intervention strategies that address identified factors, such as providing nutritional education and strengthening infant and young child feeding counseling to improve caregivers' feeding practices during childhood illness.
