Knowledge of the Baby-Led Weaning Method Among Primary Care Nutritionists in Lima, Peru

Introduction: The Baby Led Weaning (BLW) method is an alternative to the traditional complementary feeding approach, allowing infants to feed themselves with solid foods instead of being spoon-fed purees. This approach facilitates the baby’s adaptation to new flavors and textures, promotes the transition from sucking to chewing, and supports the development of fine motor skills and neuromotor maturation. Objective: To determine the level of knowledge that primary care nutritionists in Metropolitan Lima have about the BLW complementary feeding method in children aged 6 to 24 months and the associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with a final sample of 151 nutritionists. A structured questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms between July and November 2022. Data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test and prevalence ratio (PR) calculations through the Poisson regression model. Results: A total of 22.52% of surveyed nutritionists had heard of the BLW method, of whom only 17.65% demonstrated sufficient knowledge. According to the bivariate logistic regression analysis, male nutritionists were 6% more likely to recommend traditional complementary feeding compared to their female counterparts. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that most participating nutritionists exhibit limited knowledge regarding the BLW method. Additionally, a significant association was identified between the level of BLW knowledge and the recommendation of a complementary feeding method. These findings highlight the need to strengthen healthcare professionals’ training in evidence-based complementary feeding strategies.