EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING AND RELATED ANTECEDENT FACTORS AMONG LACTATING MOTHERS IN AYETE, IBARAPA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) in the first six months of life is crucial for the survival and health of newborns and infants. All the nutritional needs of infants are contained in breast milk in the right amount and proportion. In Nigeria, the factors that influence the practice of EBF among lactating mothers have not been fully explored. This study was therefore focused on the assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practice of EBF among lactating mothers in Ayete. A 3-stage random sampling technique was used to select 410 mothers of newborns and infants less than six months from households. A validated semi-structured questionnaire which included a 14-point knowledge scale was used for data collection. In addition, three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and ANOVA. The FGD data were analyzed using the thematic approach. Respondents’ mean age was 27.4±5.9 years, 95.4% were married and 35.4% had at least primary school education. Most (95.1%) respondents were aware of EBF and 50.5% were able to state its meaning correctly. Eighty percent of respondents heard of EBF from the hospital and 67.1% were aware that EBF should be initiated immediately after birth. Respondents mean knowledge score on EBF was 8.2±2.9. A majority (87.6%) of respondents stated that EBF leads to loss of essential nutrients by mothers while 81.2% claimed that EBF leads to breast ptosis. Other perceived challenges associated with EBF were inducement of hunger (26.2%) and severe body pains (11.9%). Only 10.2% of respondents were currently practicing EBF and of this, 50.0% received support from their husbands while 78.6% received support from grandmothers. The Forms of support received included: help with house chores (61.9%), encouragement (26 2%) and assistance with child care (11 9%). Twenty-four percent were discouraged by fellow women from practicing EBF and 14.3% were rebuked by family members for the practicing. Many (41.2%) respondent would advise friends to practice EBF but only 36.3% would exclusively breast feed their next child. Reasons for practicing EBF included the following: baby needs herbs for strength and vitality (31.3%), baby needs water to quench thirst (23.9%) and breast milk alone cannot satisfy a child for the first six months (20.8%). The practice of EBF was significantly more among respondents (6.1%) earning less than N5000.00 monthly than those earning N5000.00 and above (4.1%) (p<0.05). Majority of the FGD discussants were of the view that EBF is the best way of caring for the new born and that nursing mothers should be educated on its benefits. The challenges of EBF included its restrictive effects on mothers' involvement in household chores and the claim that it is against the culture of the community. Majority of the discussants opined that EBF causes a woman's sleep to be disrupted. The practice of exclusive breastfeeding was low and there were misconceptions about it among the study population. Continuous clinic-based health talks and community based couple-counseling services are needed to promote breast feeding among lactating mothers.