Exploring Physicians’ Perspectives on the Introduction of Complementary Foods to Infants and Toddlers

Dembiński, Łukasz; Banaszkiewicz, Aleksandra; Dereń, Katarzyna; Pituch-Zdanowska, Aleksandra; Jackowska, Teresa; Walkowiak, Jarosław; Mazur, Artur

doi:10.3390/nu13103559

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The main source of knowledge about proper infant nutrition reported by mothers surveyed in our study was the Internet, which complies with results from another Polish study, where only 18.5% of responders referred for recommendations to a physician [41]. This survey also shows that physicians do not discuss in detail topics related to the nutrition of children due to the limited and too short duration of a medical consultation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Evaluation of complementary feeding practices and mothers’ nutritional knowledge in reference to current Polish recommendations

Stochel-Gaudyn¹,

Kozioł-Kozakowska²,

Łuszczki³

2022

jhi

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Introduction:The method of feeding, the appropriate time of introduction of complementary foods (CF) or the responsive method of feeding is one of many factors that may decide the child's future eating habits and health. The aim of the study was to evaluate complementary feeding practices and mothers' knowledge of early childhood nutrition in reference to current recommendations. Material and methods:The study was performed between January and March 2022 and included 399 healthy mothers of a healthy child aged 12-24 months, who completed an online questionnaire. The average age of children was 16.3 ± 11.0 months. Results: In the study group 50.2% of the children were breastfed (5% exclusively breastfed) in the first 6 months of life. Fifteen percent (15.7%) of mothers decided to stop breastfeeding for non-medical reasons. Fourty seven percent (47.1%) of women introduced complementary foods at the age of 5-6 months (17-26 week), 15% before the recommended time and 27.8% after. Mothers with higher education introduced earlier into their child's diet such pro ducts as vegetables, dairy products like yogurt and cottage cheese, finger foods, and baby cereal but later gluten and fish. In the study 31% of mothers had a high level of knowledge of current infant nutritional recommendations. The lowest rate of proper answers in the knowledge test was given to questions regarding sugar added to baby products (19.8%) and the benefits of using baby cereal (23.6%) and timing of introducing dairy products to the diet (29.1%). The main source of nutrition knowledge reported by the mothers was the Internet; only 14% of them consulted a physician on this issue. Conclusions: The mothers' knowledge about current recommendations regarding appropriate infants' nutrition is not sufficient. The complementary feeding practices should be improved, especially as regards the low percentage of exclusively breastfeeding mothers, the delayed time of expanding the diet and too many meals consumed during the day.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Evaluation of complementary feeding practices and mothers’ nutritional knowledge in reference to current Polish recommendations

Stochel-Gaudyn¹,

Kozioł-Kozakowska²,

Łuszczki³

2022

jhi

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“…Pediatricians’ decisions regarding CF are undoubtedly influenced by their own family habits [ 63 , 64 ], traditional approaches [ 65 , 66 ], and new trends, including BLW weaning [ 7 , 24 , 67 , 68 ]. Parenthood was correlated with earlier recommendation by the pediatricians to introduce cow’s milk, delay introduction of wheat products, and implement BLW.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complementary Feeding Practices: Recommendations of Pediatricians for Infants with and without Allergy Risk

Vassilopoulou,

Feketea,

Pagkalos

et al. 2024

Nutrients

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Aim: To investigate the routine guidance provided by pediatricians concerning the timing of complementary feeding (CF) for both healthy infants and those at a heightened risk of allergies. Methods: A total of 233 pediatricians participated in an anonymous online survey that included questions about demographics and recommendations for CF. Specifically, they provided guidance on the types of foods, preparation methods, supplements, time intervals for introducing new foods to infants at low and high allergy risk, and delayed food introductions for high-risk cases. Results: The respondents advised introducing certain foods at specific ages: fruits, starchy non-gluten grains, vegetables, olive oil, and meat were appropriate at 6 months; gluten-rich grains at 7 months; yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and legumes at 8 months; fish at 8.5 months; and nuts at 9 months. Pediatricians, especially those with less than 15 years of practice, often introduced egg, seafood, gluten-rich grains, legumes, and nuts earlier for high-risk infants. Parenthood and male gender were associated with the earlier introduction of eggs and grains. Conclusions: Greek pediatricians follow a structured food introduction schedule for CF in infants. Interestingly, they tend to delay the introduction of common food allergens and recommend longer intervals between introducing new foods, particularly for high-risk infants. Key Notes: Despite recent evidence-based indications on healthy complementary feeding strategies for infants, discrepancies persist among pediatricians regarding food choices and the order and timing of food introduction, both for healthy infants and those at risk of allergy. Guidance on complementary feeding by pediatricians is influenced by their individual characteristics. Pediatricians tend to delay the introduction of common food allergens and recommend longer intervals between introducing new foods, particularly for high-risk infants.

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Complementary Feeding in the Clinical Practice: An Exploratory Survey among Italian Primary Care Pediatricians

Capra,

Decarolis,

Stanyevic

et al. 2024

Nutrients

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Introduction: Complementary feeding (CF) is the process of introducing solid or liquid foods (complementary foods, CFs) other than human breast milk (HBM) or infant formula into infants’ diet when HBM or infant formula is no longer sufficient to meet infants’ nutritional needs. Primary care pediatricians (PCPs) are paramount in guiding and educating infants’ families during CF. Materials and Methods: Our exploratory survey aimed to investigate PCPs’ current clinical approach to managing CF. From 1 March 2024 to 30 April 2024, a digital questionnaire composed of 32 multiple-choice questions investigating PCPs’ attitudes toward CF in healthy, full-term infants was proposed to 1620 PCPs contacted through scientific societies. Results: The questionnaire was completed voluntarily; 707 PCPs (79.5% female, 66.1% aged over 50 years) fully responded to the survey in the proposed timeframe (participation rate 43.6%). Among the responders, 47.5% recommended traditional CF; 42.1% declared to know the baby-led weaning (BLW) approach and on-demand CF (ODCF), but only 32.8% and 12.5% of them recommended these types of CF, respectively. The vast majority (95%) of participants recommended that CF start between 4 to 6 completed months of age. CF routinely based on vegetarian or plant-based diets was supported by 45/707 (6.1%), only if planned by a specialist by 253/707 (35.8%), and only upon request by caregivers by 257/707 (36.3%). Egg and fish introduction was mostly advised in the first year of life, although in case of a positive family history of food allergy, 13.3% of participants recommended the introduction of egg and fish after 12 months. Conclusions: In conclusion, PCPs did not display a homogenous approach to CF; further studies and educational programs are needed to achieve more flexibility and knowledge on this important nutritional issue.

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Exploring Physicians’ Perspectives on the Introduction of Complementary Foods to Infants and Toddlers

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

Evaluation of complementary feeding practices and mothers’ nutritional knowledge in reference to current Polish recommendations

Evaluation of complementary feeding practices and mothers’ nutritional knowledge in reference to current Polish recommendations

Complementary Feeding Practices: Recommendations of Pediatricians for Infants with and without Allergy Risk

Complementary Feeding in the Clinical Practice: An Exploratory Survey among Italian Primary Care Pediatricians

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