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Proper feeding practices during early childhood age including infancy are a foundation for ensuring optimum growth and development of the children. Despite the successful achievement in reduction of childhood diseases, malnutrition in young children has remained a challenge in Tanzania. Thus, this study assessed infants and young children’s feeding practices among caregivers with children aged 0 to 24 months in Njombe regions of Tanzania. Across-sectional study design involving 330households with mothers/caregivers of children aged between 0–24 months was conducted in Njombe Region from January to February 2021. Quantitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews and opportunistic observations among mothers/caregivers using the proPAN tool and analysed using the statistical product for service solution computer software version 20 (SPSS). Inferences were drawn at 95% confidence interval with a significant level of 5%. Three hundred and thirty (330) sampled caregivers who had infants and young children aged between 0 and 24 months were included in the study. This is a response rate of 97.6% of the intended sample. The overall proportion of the appropriate infant and young child feeding practices was 83%. The middle aged (AOR = 1.527; 95%CI (1.377,6.063)), adult aged (AOR=2.731; 95%CI (2.549,7.459)), secondary education (AOR = 2.059, 95%CI (1.478,5.561)), attendance of ANC care services for three times (AOR=3.313; 95%CI(2.074, 6.226)) caregivers who visited ANC care four times (AOR=2.019; 95%CI (1.398, 5.121)) and those caregivers who work at the office (AOR=3.371; 95%CI(1.130, 6.218)) were positively associated with the appropriate infant and young child feeding practices. A majority of caregivers with children aged between 0 to 24months practiced infant and young child feeding practices while very few caregivers practised exclusive breastfeeding, minimum acceptable diet, and consumed iron-rich foods. Therefore, there is a need to establish sensitization programmes and projects among mothers and caregivers to improve infant and young children feeding practices. |
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