Infant feeding practices among mothers in Nyankpala, Ghana
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Shadrack Koranteng Oduro 1 , Jonathan Kwadwo Osei 1 * , Chinelo Uzoamaka Okoye 2 , Ugochi Chinonyerem Ajaero 3 , Sharon Chioma Ajudua 4 , Ayomi Adediran Ofonime 5 , Daramola Precious Oluwakemisola 6 , Amarachi Henrietta Okoronkwo 7
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1 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, GHANA2 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nsukka, Enugu State, NIGERIA3 AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Abuja, NIGERIA4 College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Lagos State, NIGERIA5 Department of Nursing Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, NIGERIA6 Department of Food Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, NIGERIA7 Department of Communication, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of malnutrition among children in Ghana, particularly in the northern region, can be significantly attributed to infant feeding practices, which have been noted as one of the main factors affecting children’s nutritional status. This study was carried out to define and describe the infant feeding practices among mothers with children aged 6 and 24 months in Nyankpala, in the Northern Region of Ghana.
Methodology: A descriptive survey was employed to examine the infant feeding practices adopted by mothers in Nyankpala. The study targeted a cohort of nursing mothers with children aged 6 and 24 months. According to the World Health Organization, for the first six months of their lives, infants should be fed only breast milk, starting within the first hour of life. After that, complementary foods should be introduced while breastfeeding continues for at least two years.
Results: The results revealed from this study meet the standard where 90% of mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding, 71.7% started within the first hour after delivery, 85% fed on demand, and 90% breastfed for two (2) years and above. The majority, 90%, first introduced cereal-based foods such as corn porridge, millet porridge, “cerelac”, and “lactogen”. These practices could result from the education given to mothers during antenatal clinic visits.
Conclusion: Socio-demographic characteristics, including age, marital status, educational level, occupation, income, and household size of mothers, were the likely factors that influenced the infant feeding practices among mothers in Nyankpala. It is therefore recommended that mothers continue to adopt exclusive breastfeeding as the ideal infant feeding practice because it has many benefits for the mother, child, and health organizations. Infant feeding education must continuously be given to mothers during antenatal care and at the Child Welfare Clinic.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

J CONTEMP STUD EPIDEMIOL PUBLIC HEALTH, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2026, Article No: ep26010

https://doi.org/10.29333/jconseph/17945

Publication date: 18 Feb 2026

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