Complementary Feeding Practices in Mexico Vary According to Medical Experience and Family History of Atopy

Document Type : original article

Authors

1 Servicio de Pediatría, Nuevo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara “Dr. Juan I. Menchaca”. Guadalajara, México.

2 Instituto de Salud Pública, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, México.

3 Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Fray Antonio Alcalde. Guadalajara, México.

4 Servicio de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, Nuevo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara “Dr. Juan I. Menchaca”. Guadalajara, México.

Abstract

Background: Complementary feeding (CF) practices continue to be a topic of debate .This study aims to analyze pediatricians' CF practices for infants in Mexico based on their years of experience and family history of atopy.
Methods: Members of a pediatrics association completed an online survey regarding CF practices. Pediatricians were divided into two groups based on their years of medical practice (<10 and ≥10 years). Simple and multivariate correspondence analyses were conducted.
Results: A total of 133 pediatricians participated, with 60% being women, a mean age of 48.3 years, and an average medical practice experience of 19.8 years. The recommended first food for infants varied based on years of pediatric practice: "meat" or "no preference" (0–10 years), "fruits" (21–30 years), and "vegetables" (≥21 years) (p = 0.017). In terms of who should decide the order of food introduction responses were "the family" (0–10 years) or "the pediatrician" (≥21 years) (p = 0.004). Pediatricians in public healthcare primarily recommended introducing one new food every two days (p = 0.007). Multivariate analyses revealed that having ≥ 10 years of experience was positively associated with recommending fruits as the first food to introduce (OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.56–7.93, p = 0.002) and negatively associated with recommending meat as the first food (OR = 0.26, p = 0.014).

Keywords

References

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Journal of Pediatric Perspectives
Volume 14, Issue 1
January 2026
Pages 19848-19860

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