Extended Data: Exploring mother’s and grandmother’s perceptions of animal-source complementary foods in the diets of young children in The Gambia: A qualitative study

This is the Extended Data for a manuscript entitled: Exploring mother’s and grandmother’s perceptions of animal-source complementary foods in the diets of young children in The Gambia: A qualitative studyAuthors: Emily Dawson¹, Ahmed Futa², Maaike Klappe², Carla Cerami^1,2<i>, Hilary Davies-Kershaw</i>^{<em>1 </em>}¹Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St, London WC1E 7HT²Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, The Gambia** Cerami and Davies Kershaw are co-last authors<b>Corresponding author:</b> Carla Cerami ([e-mail])<b>Summary of main manuscript: </b>In The Gambia, many children consume diets that are lacking in nutrients that are essential for their growth and development. This study aims to explore child feeding practices, including perceptions around animal source foods (meat, eggs, milk etc.) in order to inform future interventions focused on improving child feeding practices. In July and August 2023, investigators held focus groups with mothers and grandmothers in both Keneba, a rural village and in Brikama, an urban town, in The Gambia.This study finds discrepancies between recommended feeding guidelines and actual practices, influenced by various local factors. Understanding these influences is an essential first step in working to improve complementary feeding practices in The Gambia. This study also looks at the relationship between the Medical Research Council, The Gambia (MRCG) and the community in both settings. This provides insight into the appropriateness of the use of the MRCG as a setting for an intervention. The insights from this research are able to guide future efforts to improve child feeding practices in The Gambia. The main limitation to the study was the lead investigators lack of fluency in the local language, however support from local researchers aided the lead researcher’s comprehension.