Feeding practices and anaemia among children aged 0–23 months in Ghana

Background/Aims Young children in sub-Saharan African countries are at a disproportionally higher risk of becoming anaemic than their counterparts in high-income countries, mainly as a result of iron deficiencies in feeding practices. The aim of this study was to assess the association between feeding practices and childhood anaemia and whether it is affected by household wealth index quintile. Methods This quantitative cross-sectional study used data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2022 . Data were analysed from a weighted sample of 1846 children aged 0–23 months. Bivariate analysis was done using the Chi-squared test and a model was fitted using binary logistic regression methods. Results The majority (69.4%) of sampled children were anaemic. Children who were exclusively breastfed had a greater risk of being anaemic (P=0.001). The influence of breastfeeding practices depended on household wealth. Other significant confounders associated with childhood anaemia were stunting, maternal anaemia and religion. Conclusions The rate of anaemia was high among the sampled children. Those who were exclusively breastfed were more likely to be anaemic, influenced by the household wealth index quintile. Implications for practice Financial support for mothers is needed to support suitable feeding practices. Health education should be provided on exclusive breastfeeding practices based on guidelines for optimal feeding and introduction of iron-rich complementary foods after 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding.