Comparison of the Perceived Importance and Performance of Considering Factors When Providing Weaning Foods

This study investigated which of the mothers' characteristics affect their practice of weaning. An online survey was conducted from July 20th to July 24th, 2018, and a total of 410 people completed the survey. Thirty to 34 years old mothers were the most common age. For education, university graduates were the highest, comprising 50.5%, and 59.5% were not employed. Of the subjects, 72.7% of the respondents searched for books to obtain knowledge and information about proper weaning. Only 8.8% had experienced an educational session delivered by professionals. The perceived importance and performance of the eight considering factors when preparing weaning foods were measured using a 5-point Likert type scale. 'Hygiene' and 'safety' were perceived as relatively more important factors and performed better than the other factors. On the other hand, 'economy' and 'convenience of cooking' were perceived as relatively less important factors and performed less than the other factors. The gap between importance perception and performance of 'nutritional balance' was the largest. Therefore, education or training session dealing with how to balance the nutrition of weaning food is necessary. The mean knowledge score of weaning foods was 8.82, and 40.2% answered all 10 items correctly. One-way ANOVA and independent sample t-tests were conducted to determine if the perceived importance, performance, gap (Importance£­Performance), and knowledge scores varied according to several factors (¥á£½0.05). The perceived importance, performance, and gap between the two differed significantly according to the mother¡¯s education level, employment status, and parenting stress level. Practical nutrition education programs are recommended to be conducted at an appropriate time to suit the characteristics of the subjects so that mothers can obtain correct information and maintain a good working attitude while carrying out weaning.