Table 2.
Maternal knowledge and beliefs about complementary and responsive feeding across the three study groups
| Study groups | Age (months) | CG* | CFG † | RCF&PG ‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | (%) | (%) | (%) | |
| Complementary feeding | ||||
| Minced meat mixed with rice is a good food for an 8‐month‐old | 9 | 40.3 a | 86.6 b | 82.9 b |
| 15 | 55.2 a | 85.2 b | 86.7 b | |
| At 7 months of age, egg is a good nutritious food | 9 | 35.8 a | 74.9 b | 75.5 b |
| 15 | 61.7 a | 87.4 b | 88.0 b | |
| Liver is a good food when infant is 7–8 months old | 9 | 18.8 a | 57.9 b | 63.9 b |
| 15 | 44.0 a | 78.7 b | 76.5 b | |
| At 9 months, needs about three fistfuls of food (muddas) per meal | 9 | 75.3 a | 93.3 b | 97.5 b |
| 15 | 74.9 a | 90.7 b | 92.2 b | |
| A child 9–10 months needs additional snacks as well as three meals | 9 | 79.0 a | 91.5 b | 89.9 b |
| 15 | 83.9 a | 95.1 b | 95.8 b | |
| A 7‐month child will grow well if greens are included in meals | 9 | 17.1 a | 37.1 b | 39.9 b |
| 15 | 30.9 a | 42.6 b | 45.8 b | |
| Responsive feeding | ||||
| It is important to smile and look at the infant's face while feeding | 9 | 96.6 | 97.8 | 97.5 |
| 15 | 94.9 | 100.0 | 97.6 | |
| Teach your child to eat patiently and lovingly | 9 | 98.8 | 100.0 | 97.3 |
| 15 | 99.4 | 99.5 | 98.8 | |
| Actively help your child to eat | 9 | 90.9 | 99.4 | 100.0 |
| 15 | 89.0 | 87.3 | 84.8 | |
| Help the child, but do not physically restrain while feeding | 9 | 14.2 | 7.9 | 13.9 |
| 15 | 89.5 | 92.9 | 89.1 | |
| Praise/encourage child to eat, give positive comments | 9 | 98.8 | 100.0 | 97.3 |
| 15 | 98.8 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Respond to child refusal by waiting and offering one more bite | 9 | 58.6 | 68.7 | 75.8 |
| 15 | 69.1 | 72.2 | 69.9 | |
| Encourage experience with self‐feeding/give finger foods | 9 | 96.0 | 98.3 | 96.9 |
| 15 | 96.6 | 100.0 | 98.8 | |
| Child should be fed more often during illness such as diarrhoea | 9 | 30.3 a | 46.3 b | 46.5 b |
| 15 | 63.4 a | 81.4 b | 85.5 b |
*Control group (CG): n = 176/168 at 9/15 months. †Complementary feeding group (CFG): n = 177/170 at 9/15 months. ‡Responsive complementary feeding and play group (RCF&PG): n = 158/145 at 9/15 months. Data present percentages. Percentages in a row with superscripts without a common letter differ, P < 0.05 (cluster‐adjusted analysis of variance with generalized estimating equations).