A qualitative assessment of the preliminary food-based dietary guidelines for infants 6-12 months of age in the greater Oudtshoorn area

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Objectives and scope of investigationFollowing the 1996 recommendations of a FAO/WHO expert panel for the development of food-baseddietary guidelines (FBDGs) unique and specific to the needs of the populations of different countries, aSouth African FBDG Working Group was formed and ultimately also a Paediatric FBDG (PFBDG)Working Group with the task of the latter being the development of FBDGs for children younger than7 years. A set of preliminary PFBDGs, chosen to address the most pressing paediatric public healthissues, namely protein-energy malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and infectious diseases, wereformulated for each age group sub-category (0-6 months, 6-12 months and 1-7 years). The followingset of preliminary PFBDGs for the age group 6-12 months were approved by the Working Group to besubjected to consumer testing:• Enjoy time with your baby• From six months start giving your baby small amounts of solid foods• Gradually increase your baby's meals to five times a day• Keep breast feeding your baby• Offer your baby clean, safe water regularly• Teach your baby to drink from a cup• Take your baby to the clinic every monthAssessment of the consumer's comprehension, interpretation of the proposed guidelines, and ability toapply them, was considered essential before the PFBDGs could be finalised, disseminated to theconsumer, and implemented as an educational tool for health professionals and community workers.This study was also the first in which PFBDGs were tested, and was intended to be a pilot study forfurther testing of PFBDGs for this age category in other parts of the country, adapted for differentcircumstances.The investigation was conducted among women who were mothers or caregivers to infants 6-12months of age in the Afrikaans-, English- and Xhosa-speaking communities of the greater Oudtshoornarea, including Bongulethu, Bridgeton and Toekomsrus and its adjacent rural areas of Dysselsdorp,Calitzdorp, Uniondale, Ladismith and Zoar. MethodologyThe study was designed to be an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. Qualitative datawas collected from a sample of 64 volunteers who took part in ten focus group discussions eachattended by between 3 and 11 participants. Group discussions were recorded on videotape andquantitative and qualitative questionnaires measured pre-discussion knowledge and comprehension ofguidelines, perceived hindrances to compliance with guidelines and perceived importance of guidelinesas well as socio-demographic data.Results and conclusionsWith this study, useful and enlightening information was obtained which met the research objectives.Participants discussed the guidelines in depth and information obtained from the questionnaires werefound to support what was said during the discussions. Body language or non-verbal communication asobserved, and recorded on videotape, also complemented the information gained from the discussions.Summarily it can be said that the guidelines were well-received and perceived as important by themajority of respondents, although some of the guidelines were initially not well-understood withoutexplanation. Furthermore, the fact that the applicability of the guideline on prolonged breast feedingseems to be the most problematic, is a cause for concern.In view of the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that PFBDGs will have to besupported by extensive and appropriate educational material to be effective when introduced to thepublic.The findings of this study will be submitted to the PFBDG Working group for consideration beforefinalisation of the guidelines for the age group 6-12 months.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University