Surveillance of Family Care Function in Feeding of the Children under the Age of Six in Abadan 2015

Abstract

Background: Family is one of the early systems of human societies. Inappropriate performance of family in taking care of children, especially nutritional care, leads to irreparable damages to their development and growth.  Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the nutrition care of children under the age of six in Abadan. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out on 406 families with children under the age of six in Abadan city. The families were selected using the cluster sampling method. The data collection tools were a researcher-made questionnaire and direct interview.   Furthermore, descriptive and analytical tests such as single sample t-test were used using the SPSS. Results: The results of this study showed that 60 percent of children under one year of age and 32.7 percent of 1-3 year old children were breastfed. Conclusion: The family care function was not satisfactory in regarding the nutrition status of 1-3 year old children. This suggests the necessity of education on breastfeeding by the end of the 2-year period.