Association between Maternal Knowledge of Complementary Feeding and Complementary Feeding Practices among Infants Aged 6–12 Months at Mujur Community Health Centre, East Praya, Central Lombok, in 2025

Abstract

Complementary foods are introduced at six months of age to meet nutritional requirements that breast milk alone can no longer fully satisfy. Their introduction should be gradual, with food texture, quantity and variety adapted to the infant’s developmental stage. This study aimed to examine the association between maternal knowledge of complementary feeding and complementary feeding practices among infants aged 6–12 months at Mujur Community Health Centre, East Praya, Central Lombok, in 2025. A preliminary survey involving interviews with 12 mothers indicated that seven had introduced complementary foods before their infants reached six months of age, whilst five had provided formula milk from birth owing to perceived insufficient breast milk production. Bivariate analysis was conducted using the chi-square test at a 95% confidence level. The findings revealed a statistically significant association between maternal knowledge of complementary feeding and complementary feeding practices among infants aged 6–12 months (p = 0.001). These findings support the importance of strengthening maternal education on the timing of complementary food introduction, appropriate food texture and quantity, and dietary diversity alongside continued breastfeeding. Such education may support feeding practices that are appropriate to infants’ nutritional needs and developmental stages