Introduction:

There are few studies that associate anemia with complementary feeding practices in cities of the provinces of Peru.

Objective:

To determine the characteristics of complementary feeding practices, sociodemographic characteristics and their association with anemia in children between 6 and 12 months of age from Cusco-Peru between August - December, 2017.

Material and Methods:

A cross-sectional and analytical study based on the data from 360 mothers and children was carried out. The complementary feeding practices were evaluated through a semi-structured questionnaire, and their association with the variable of interest "anemia" was calculated. The crude (cPR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios were estimated using linear and generalized Poisson regression models and log link function, with their respective 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). P-values <0.05 were considered significant.

Results:

The prevalence of anemia was 68,3 %. Associated factors were: living in poverty (aPR 1.27, p= 0.002), receiving an inadequate daily diversity of foods (aPR 1.13, p= 0.038); receiving an inadequate daily amount of food (aPR 1.15, p= 0.036) and supplementation with porridge (aPR 1.51, p= 0.002). Iron supplementation (aPR 0.33, p <0.001) was a protective factor.

Conclusions:

Living in poverty has been associated with anemia as well as some complementary feeding practices. These findings could be modified through proper follow-up in home visits and appropriate assignment of personnel for this activity.

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