Al-sihah: The Public Health Science Journal
Volume 17, Nomor 2, July-December 2025

Maternal knowledge and caregiver attitudes toward accurate complementary feeding according to WHO recommendations: A study at Riau, Indonesia




Article Info

Publish Date
31 Dec 2025

Abstract

The percentage of exclusive breastfeeding in Pekanbaru City in 2022 decreased compared to the previous year, thus putting babies at risk of receiving complementary foods too early, which has short-term and long-term impacts. Short-term negative impacts include babies losing nutrients from breast milk, triggering diarrhea, anemia, and reducing the baby's sucking ability. While long-term negative impacts include obesity, hypertension, allergies, and atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between maternal knowledge and caregivers' attitudes towards providing complementary foods (MP-ASI) in the Payung Sekaki Community Health Center Work Area, Pekanbaru City, Riau. This study used a cross-sectional design, conducted from December 2023 to July 2024 in the Payung Sekaki Community Health Center Work Area, Pekanbaru City, Riau. The sample in this study were 163 mothers with babies aged 6-24 months with a sampling technique using purposive sampling. The instrument in this study was a questionnaire. The data analysis technique used univariate and bivariate analysis with Chi Square statistical test in SPSS 26. There was a relationship between maternal knowledge and caregiver attitudes towards providing complementary feeding in the Payung Sekaki Community Health Center Working Area with a p value = 0.000 (p <0.05). The better the mother's knowledge about complementary feeding, the more likely a mother will provide complementary feeding on time and respondents who have a positive attitude tend to provide complementary feeding on time.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

Al-Sihah

Publisher

Subject

Public Health

Description

The aim of this journal is to publish high-quality articles dedicated to all aspects of the latest outstanding developments in the field of public health. Al-Sihah receives manuscripts encompass a broad range of research topics in public health sciences: epidemiology, nutrition, health promotion, ...