The effect of health education on mothers' knowledge about choosing good complementary feeding for babies aged 6 to 24 months

Abstract

Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is essential for optimal growth and development. Appropriate complementary feeding is therefore important for meeting the nutritional needs of infants aged 6–24 months after exclusive breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the effect of health education on mothers’ knowledge regarding the selection of appropriate complementary foods for infants aged 6–24 months. A pre-experimental study using a one-group pretest–posttest design was conducted at Saga Health Center, Central Maluku. The study included 35 mothers of infants aged 6–24 months who were selected using total population sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing mothers’ knowledge of complementary feeding. Knowledge scores before and after the intervention were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results showed a significant improvement in mothers’ knowledge following the health education intervention. The analysis demonstrated a significant difference between pretest and posttest knowledge scores (p < 0.001), indicating that health education effectively improved mothers’ understanding of appropriate complementary feeding practices. Health education can improve mothers’ knowledge regarding appropriate complementary feeding for infants aged 6–24 months. Strengthening nutrition education through primary healthcare services may support appropriate feeding practices and contribute to optimal child growth and development.