Abstract

Background and Objective: Inappropriate complementary feeding are a major cause of child malnutrition and death. Progress on complementary feeding has not been made as done in breastfeeding, while research and development have contributed to an expanding evidence base for recommendation on appropriate feeding and effective intervention for children after six months of age but translation of new knowledge into action has lagged behind. this study assessed knowledge, practice and habit of mothers of infant and young child aged 6-24 months regarding complementary feeding. Materials and Methods: This community based cross sectional study was carried out in Kinondoni municipality specifically at Hananasif and Mzimuni ward between 6 months to 24 months children from April to September 2021. A close ended questionnaire was deployed to random mothers of children from study area to assess knowledge level, hygienic practice, complementary food variety group, and nutritional status of children. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20 and ENA for SMART for anthropometric measurement. Results: A total of 232 subjects were included from the study area. Overall, 104(44.8%) respondent were had low knowledge, 39.7% had poor hygienic practice during giving complementary food and 21.1%, 2.2% of children were stunting and underweight respectively. Lastly about 98.7% were not severely malnourished. Conclusion: There was a gap in knowledge and practice among mothers regarding adequate age of initiation of complementary feeding, preparation, and Hygienic practices