Korean Journal of Community Nutrition (대한지역사회영양학회지)

The Korean Society of Community Nutrition (대한지역사회영양학회)
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Knowledge on complementary foods of mothers with young children and their perception of convenience complementary foods

영·유아 어머니의 이유식 지식수준 및 간편 이유식에 대한 인식

  • Yoojeong Joo (Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University) ;
  • Jihyun Yoon (Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University) ;
  • Linxi Huang (Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University) ;
  • Youngmin Nam (Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University)
  • Received : 2024.01.23
  • Accepted : 2024.02.22
  • Published : 2024.02.29
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Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine mothers' knowledge levels on complementary foods and their perception of convenience complementary foods. Methods: An online survey was conducted with mothers aged 20-49 years who had purchased convenience complementary foods and had a preschool child aged 4 months or older. The respondents were categorized into 3 groups based on their knowledge scores: low- (0-50 points), mid- (55-65 points), and high- (70-100 points) knowledge groups. Results: The average score of mothers' knowledge on complementary foods was 58.8 out of 100 points. Working mothers were found to have lower levels of knowledge compared to mothers who were housewives. Only 1/4 of responding mothers had educational experience on complementary foods. Mothers expressed a desire for information on the types of complementary foods (72.2%) and the intake amounts (60.3%) corresponding to each phase of their child's development. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences in health (P = 0.002), variety (P = 0.039), and hygiene (P = 0.041) among the factors taken into consideration when purchasing convenience complementary foods according to the mothers' knowledge levels. Mothers in the high-knowledge group placed a greater importance on 'balanced nutrition' (P = 0.022) and 'hygienic cooking' (P = 0.010) compared to mothers in the low-knowledge group. The results of the modified importance-performance analysis, which compared the importance and performance of the factors taken into consideration when purchasing convenience complementary foods, highlighted the need for efforts in 'health,' 'hygiene,' and 'price,' while also indicating an excessive effort in 'convenience.' Conclusions: This study suggests expanding relevant education programs to enhance mothers' knowledge on complementary foods, especially for working mothers. In the industry, marketing strategies for complementary food products could be developed that align with the needs of mothers, focusing on health, hygiene, and price.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors sincerely acknowledge BEBECOOK for their financial assistance with schoolwork during this study.

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