Association between Maternal Nutrition Knowledge and Child Malnutrition among Children Aged 6–59 Months in Mwumba Commune

Abstract

Introduction: Child malnutrition is an imbalance between nutritional intake and the body's needs. It occurs mainly when mothers do not have sufficient nutritional knowledge and practices to feed their children. Aims: This study aims to assess the influence of mothers' nutritional knowledge and practices on child malnutrition in Mwumba Commune. Methodology: The study was conducted in three Health Centers of the Buye Health District in Mwumba Commune (Buye, Buziragahama and Gitwa) over a period of 3 months from April to June, on 161 mothers with children aged 6 to 59 months. A total of 1,736 children were initially consulted and screened. After weighing the children and measuring their mid-upper arm circumference, malnourished children were selected. Anthropometric measurements were analyzed according to WHO standards (Z-scores). Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 24.0 and Excel. Results: Among the 1,736 children screened, 161 (9.28%) were malnourished, including 7.09% with moderate acute malnutrition and 2.19% with severe acute malnutrition. Most mothers were farmers (81.37%) with primary education (64.6%). Regarding feeding practices, 52.8% practiced exclusive breastfeeding, while 27.33% introduced complementary feeding before 6 months. Energy foods were predominantly consumed (96.89%), whereas growth and protective foods were neglected. Associated infections were frequent (70.19%), and when children refused to eat, nearly half of mothers (49.69%) left them without insisting. Conclusion: The findings reveal significant gaps in maternal nutritional knowledge and feeding practices in Mwumba Commune, characterized by poor dietary diversity, inappropriate complementary feeding, and suboptimal responses to child feeding refusal. These factors contribute to the persistence of child malnutrition. Targeted interventions, including nutrition education programs focused on dietary diversification, appropriate complementary feeding, and improved child feeding practices, are urgently needed to reduce malnutrition prevalence.