Determinants of Complementary Foods Choice for Children in South West Benin

Abstract

The choice of complementary foods, especially for children aged 0-23 months, remains an issue in most parts of the world, particularly in developing countries. We examine in this paper the factors determining the choice of complementary foods for children aged 0-23 months in southwest Benin. The data comes from the Unt Amed survey conducted by the Applied Anthropology Research Group (AARG) in December 2020. The study employed an unordered multinomial logit regression model and bivariate analyses. Through conometric models, results show that complementary foods are introduced early to children. The choice of complementary foods is dependent on average family income, mother's occupation, food taboos, number of economically active persons in the household, residence environment, family food consumption score, survival strategy adopted by the family and reduced coping strategy index. Policy sensitization targeting heads of family on food restriction, family income and women's education improvement, and nutritional education for women are key actions for complementary food choice for children.