Prevalence and related factors of premastication by caregivers of infants and toddlers in 8 cities of China

Objective To examine the prevalence of premastication by caregivers of infants and toddlers in 8 cities of China and to explore possible causes and related factors of permastication.Methods Data were extracted from the study of Maternal and Infant Nutrition Growth, a cross-sectional study carried out using multi-stage cluster sampling method among 2626 infants and toddlers aged 0-36 months in 8 cities(Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou, Lanzhou, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang) of China.A self-designed questionnaire was applied to caregivers of the infants and toddlers to collect information on premastication by the caregivers and on demography, family and feeding of the infants and toddlers.Results The overall rate of the caregivers' premastication among the infants and toddlers was 16.1% and the rate varied among the infants and toddlers of different age and residential city.Premastication was more frequently reported by the caregivers of the infants and toddlers at ages of 12-23.9 and 6-11.9 months, with the rates of 32.15% and 28.93%, respectively.Higher premastication rates were reported by the caregivers from Shanghai(26.10%) and Suzhou(22.83%), while lower rates were reported by those from Chengdu(8.51%) and Beijing(11.20%).The infants and toddlers with low maternal education, being overweight judged by the caregivers, and with the caregivers' special concern for their nutritional status were more likely to be fed premasticated.Conclusion Premastication is a common complementary food feeding practice among Chinese caregivers of urban infants and toddlers.Age, residential region, and maternal education of the infants and toddlers, cognition towards child's bodyweight and concern for nutritional status of the caregivers are related factors of premastication feeding.