ISSN 2326-7291
International Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology ISSN 2326-7291 Vol. 14 (8), pp. 001-005, August, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Geographic Variation in Complementary Feeding Practices: Premature Introduction of Foods and Beverages Among Guatemalan Infants
Noel W. Solomons, María José Soto-Méndez, Elena Diaz Ruíz and Marieke Vossenaar*
Center for Studies of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism (CeSSIAM), Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Accepted 5 May, 2025
The objective of the current analysis was to compare the pattern of age-of-introduction of commonly consumed complementary foods in the western highlands with what has been reported from the central highlands of Guatemala. Age-of-introduction of 10 sentinel foods was queried by means of structured face-to-face interviews in mothers of 6 to 11 months old infants living in Quetzaltenango (n = 114). The mean age-of-introduction was earlier in the metropolitan Quetzaltenango series than in both of the central highland locations, rural and urban. We concluded that different patterns of early introduction of food and beverage items contribute to the precocious occurrence of mixed feeding (MF) in the first semester of infancy in distinct regions of Guatemala.
Key words: Complementary foods, self-reported, infant nutrition, Guatemala.