The Relation between Age of Introduction of Complementary Feeding and Physical Growth of Infants Under 2 Years of Age in West of Tehran

Early or late introduction of complementary feeding is one of the important reasons of infants’ growth faltering and malnutrition which can lead to irreversible economical complications. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between onset time of complementary feeding and introduction of each complementary food with the growth of children aged less than 2 yrs, in the Health centers in West of Tehran. Patients and In a historical – cohort study and using health files, 359 infants under 2 years of age(183 boys and 176 girls) were included in study by clustering sampling. All infants were term, with normal birth weight, complete vaccination, healthy mother and were exclusively fed by mother's milk. Growth indices were expressed as standard deviation scores(SDS) of height and weight according to National Health Center Statistics(NCHS) references. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 11 software by ANOVA. A total of 183 boys and 176 girls were studied. There was "increase growth trend" in first month and then "growth faltering" till 1 years of age"growth acceleration" occurred after 1st year. Early onset of complementary feeding(before 6 months) as compared to late onset(after 6 months) leads to lower growth indices although not much significant. Introducing fruit juice at 4-6 months of age(sooner than normal time) leads to significant growth faltering. On time introducion of egg yolk i.e, 6-8 months, leads to better height (but not weight) as compared to late onset group. Introducing meat at 4-6 months of age(sooner than normal time) as compared to late onset group led to faltering in growth indices, although not much significant. Onset time of complementary feeding and also beginning time of introducing each type of complementary food / can influence infants’ growth. Cohort studies are strongly suggested.