ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1558163
This article is part of the Research TopicClinical Nutrition in Newborns and Children with DisabilitiesView all articles
Prevalence of sub-optimal feeding practices and associated factors in very low birth weight infants admitted to the special care unit, Kawempe Hospital in Uganda
Provisionally accepted
- 1Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
- 2Millennium Challenge Corporation, Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
- 3Nsambya Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
- 4Makerere University, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda
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Background: Over 60% of Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants worldwide are born in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. VLBW infants are born nutritionally disadvantaged, as they are suddenly and prematurely moved from a nutrient-rich to a nutrient-deficient environment. Therefore, appropriate feeding during the early neonatal period is essential for the survival and growth of VLBW infants admitted to the special care unit of a Ugandan tertiary referral hospital.We conducted a prospective cohort study among VLBW infants admitted to the Special Care Unit at Kawempe National referral hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Stable infants with no gross abnormalities or in need of resuscitation were recruited on day two of life and followed up until day seven or to discharge or death, whichever came first. Data were collected on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, including birth weight initiation of enteral feeds, type of feeds received, and method of feeding.Observed feeding practices were compared to recommended VLBW feeding standards for appropriateness. Infants were followed up until day 7 of life. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with sub-optimal feeding.Results: A total of 370 VLBW infants, with a mean gestational age of 32 weeks were enrolled. Overall, 333 (90%) had sub-optimal feeding and this was significantly associated with a sub-optimal rate of early weight change (growth velocity) [OR= 6.81, 95%, CI (2.74 to 16.97)]. Factors associated with sub-optimal feeding included: early initiation of enteral feeds [AOR= 11.03, 95%, CI (1.34 to 90.77)] and low scores on social support scale for the mother [AOR= 2.78, 95%, CI (1.14 to 6.82Conclusions: There is a very high prevalence of sub-optimal feeding practices for VLBW infants in this population. This calls urgent need for improved feeding practices, including early enteral feeding. Future studies should explore the long terms effects of this early suboptimal feeding practices on growth and development within the first 48 hours, barring contraindications.
Keywords: Sub-Optimal Feeding, growth velocity, Very low birth weight, Special care, Uganda
Received: 10 Jan 2025; Accepted: 16 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 AMANIYO, Dektar, Nakibuuka, Nankunda, Opoka and Kiguli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: LUCY AMANIYO, Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
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