Abstract

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.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: EBF, exclusive breastfeeding; CeSSIAM, center for studies of sensory impairment, aging and metabolism; MF, mixed feeding; PBF, partial breastfeeding; WHO,world health organization.