Feeding Premasticated Food to Breastfeeding and Weaned Infants among Sudanese Women, Khartoum North

Abstract

Premasticated of solid food, when an individual partially breaks down food by chewing and feeding it to another person, usually children, from mouth to mouth, using the hand or by other tools e.g. spoon is common various societies in the world. We also did not know whether Sudanese women practice the premasticated feeding. So, we conducted this study to assess breastfeeding, complementary feeding behavior, presence or absence and rates of premasticated food transfer and infant age, and assessed the food species and part used. The study was conducted in Khartoum North locality, Khartoum State, Sudan. We used descriptive cross-sectional design to complete the study. The study targeted nursing mother with a child less than 24 months of age. The sample size was calculated to be 800.  Two thirds of surveyed nursing mothers have had heard of premastication of food. Most heard of it from older generations. Yet, 94 (11.9%) premasticated food for the current young children. They claimed that they start premastication of food after the sixth month of the infant age, and stop the practice before the 24th month. Although many scientists around the world have recognized the possibility of transmitting infection by premasticated food from the mother to the infant, the practice is not without significant benefits. Some authors believe that premastication of food by senior person and deliver it to the infant can help stimulating the immune system in infants. The study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Alzaiem Alazhari University. Written informed consent was obtained from each individual participant.