Infant Development at the Age of 6 Months in Relation to Feeding Practices, Iron Status, and Growth in a Peri-Urban Community of South Africa

BACKGROUND Evidence on the association between feeding practices, iron deficiency, anaemia, stunting, and impaired psychomotor development during infancy is limited. This study assessed the association between psychomotor development with early feeding practices, growth, iron status, and anaemia. METHODS This was cross-sectional baseline data of a randomised controlled trial which included 6-month-old infants and their mothers or primary caregivers (n = 750) in a peri-urban community in the North West province of South Africa. The Kilifi Developmental Inventory and a parent rating scale were used to assess psychomotor development. Feeding practices and anthropometric measurements were based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Anaemia and iron status were determined by blood sample analysis. RESULTS Prevalence of anaemia and stunting for the infants were 36.4% and 28.5%, respectively. Multiple regression analysis showed that birth weight was related to combined psychomotor scores (β = -3.427 (-4.603, 1.891), p < 0.001), as well as parent rating scores (β = -0.843 (-1.507, -0.180), p = 0.013). Length-for-age z-scores were associated with combined psychomotor scores (β = -1.419 (-2.466, 0.373), p = 0.008), as well as parent rating scores (β = -0.747 (-1.483, -0.010), p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS In this setting, with high prevalence of anaemia and stunting, important associations between lower psychomotor development scores and birthweight as well as length-for-age z-scores in 6-month-old infants were found. These findings warrant further investigation to develop a greater understanding of factors influencing the association between child growth and psychomotor development within the first 1000 days of life.