The Impact of Complementary Feeding Education Given to Fathers on Father-Infant Relationship and Infant Feeding Behavior

The study aims to investigate the effects of complementary feeding education provided to fathers on father-infant bonding and infant feeding behavior.

This prospective, non-randomized controlled study was conducted with the parents of 6-month-old infants followed up at the Child Health Monitoring Polyclinic of the Department of Social Pediatrics, Department of Child Health and Diseases, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University. After being informed about the study and giving written consent, the parents of the infants included in the study were stratified according to the father's education level, birth order of the child, and self-efficacy scale scores, and then in order of admission to hospital assigned to the study and control groups. Infants born at term, exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, without chronic diseases, and whose parents lived together were included in the study. Exclusion criteria included: food allergy, developmental milestones not appropriate for age, known swallowing dysfunction, psychiatric illness of either parent, a chronic illness in a sibling, adoption, and refusal to give consent.

During the 6-month check-up, parents who agreed to participate in the study completed a demographic questionnaire, the Karitane Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (KPSCS), the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. The Father-Infant Bonding Scale (FIB Scale) was administered only to fathers during the same examination.

In the study group, both mothers and fathers received complementary feeding education, while in the control group, only mothers received the education. The education was based on the WHO Guideline for Complementary Feeding of Infants and Young Children 6-23 Months of Age and was delivered both in-person and via tablet. To make the education more understandable, infographics and visuals prepared using the WHO Guideline for Complementary Feeding of Infants and Young Children 6-23 Months of Age and the Basic Information for Families on Child Health and Safety in the First 5 Years booklet of the Child Health Association. At the end of the training, participants were given a booklet containing the infographics from the "Basic Information for Families on Child Health and Safety in the First 5 Years" booklet of the TChild Health Association.

At the 9-month follow-up, the KPSCS, EPDS, BPFAS, and GAD-7 scales were administered to both mothers and fathers, and the FIB Scale was administered only to fathers.