Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices: a Survey of Middle Aged Women in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices: a Survey of Middle Aged Women in Port Harcourt Metropolis

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of exclusive breastfeeding by middle aged women in Military Barracks, Navy Town, Port Harcourt Metropolis and anthropometric indices of their Under- two children. 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To assess the knowledge of the middle aged women on exclusive breastfeeding in Navy Town, hospital, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.
2. To assess the attitude of the middle aged women on exclusive breastfeeding in Navy Town, hospital, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State
3. To assess the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among under-two children in Navy Town, hospital, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.
4. To assess the anthropometric measure of children in Navy Town, hospital, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State with the WHO reference standard.
5. To assess relationship between practice of exclusive breast feeding and anthropometric status of children in Navy Town, hospital, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

BREASTFEEDING

Breastfeeding has been reported as an age-old practice that has been very critical not only to the physiology, growth, and overall well-being of neonates but the physiology and health of women as well. Indeed, scarcely does a society exist without some form of infant breastfeeding; for it is one of the practices among human societies that transcend the boundaries of time and place. The practice has been a method of feeding to which infants have not only adapted but lived on for most of human existence on earth.  

BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING  

There is consistent evidence of short-term benefits and potential long-term benefits in breastfed infants. In addition, benefits of breastfeeding to maternal health, as well as advantages for health care systems and society, have been described.

FOR INFANTS

• The components of breast milk exert dual roles; one is to provide nutrition and another is to encourage immunity and development.^7-9

Breast milk changes its composition from colostrum to mature milk to meet the different stages of nutrition needs from newborns to older infants. ⁷

• It provides the required nutrients in easily digestible and bio available forms.¹⁰
• Breast milk also contains a wide variety of living components including antibodies, enzymes and hormones.⁹

The health benefits of breast milk cannot be replaced by formula milk. Bioactive factors such as human secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), lactoferrin, lysozyme, oligosaccharides, growth factors and cellular components may benefit infant’s host defence system. ¹¹

• There is convincing evidence that breastfeeding reduces infant mortality and decreases the risk of acute illnesses such as gastrointestinal infections, lower respiratory tract diseases and acute otitis media.¹²

In developing countries, breastfeeding is a life-or-death issue. A meta-analysis showed significant protective effects of breastfeeding.¹³ The paper found that infants who were not breastfed had a risk of dying from infectious diseases in the first month of life six folds greater than those who were breastfed.¹³ Significant reduction in the risks of gastrointestinal infections, lower respiratory tract diseases and acute otitis media were also observed in developed countries that can be directly attributed to breastfeeding. ¹²

• In addition, a systematic review concluded that breastfeeding is associated with lower rates of childhood obesity, certain allergic conditions, type 2 diabetes and leukemia.¹²

There are some other potential long-term benefits of breastfeeding for infants:

• such as higher cognitive outcome in full-term infants
• less cardiovascular mortality in adults and lower adult blood pressure.¹²

FOR THE MOTHER

Breastfeeding is also beneficial for mothers, including decreased risks of:

• Type 2 diabetes,
• Breast cancer ¹⁴, ovarian cancer¹⁵and
• Maternal postpartum depression.^16-18

A study of two large cohorts including 150,000 parous female nurses in the United States¹⁹ found that, without a history of gestational diabetes, each additional year of breastfeeding was associated with a 4% reduction in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the first cohort and a 12% reduction in the risk in the second cohort.

There is good evidence from the latest meta-analyses to support that breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer. A collaborative reanalysis study including more than 50,000 women with breast cancer and more than 90,000 controls, examined individual data from 47 studies and found that the relative risk of breast cancer decreased by 4.3% for every 12 months of breastfeeding, in addition to a decrease of 7% for each birth.¹⁴

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ¹² reviewed 9 case-control studies and concluded that there was an association between breastfeeding and a 21% (95% CI: 9%, 32%) reduction in the risk of ovarian cancer, compared to never breastfeeding.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD CHAPTERS 1-5 PROCEED TO DOWNLOAD Added to cart

 

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

STUDY DESIGN

The study design employed in this survey was a cross sectional descriptive study.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

The sampling technique employed was cluster sampling. Expectant and nursing mothers who presented at the hospital was used for the research work.

STUDY POPULATION  

Inclusion Criteria: Women of child-bearing age who presented at the hospital were included in the study. 

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS

The knowledge, attitude and practice of exclusive breast feeding of mothers of child bearing age and anthropometric assessment of their under- two children in Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Navy Town, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers state was assessed.

CHAPTER FIVE

 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 

5.1 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding among the mothers was high; Mothers had roughly the same attitude towards EBF; the practice of EBF among the mothers was low; the anthropometric measures of length, weight and head circumference of their under two children was within range with the WHO reference standard.

In assessing relationship between practice of EBF and infant anthropometry, the EBF infants showed a higher increase in length at 6 months of age unlike their NEBF counterparts; The NEBF infants showed a higher weight at 12 months of age unlike their EBF counterparts and there was no significant difference in head circumference between the two groups.

 

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are proposed to strengthen the knowledge of EBF and enhance attitude and practice thus encouraging an improved nutritional status of under-two children in Navy Town as well as in the general population: 

 

1. Exclusive breast feeding information programmes should not only include the definition and recommended duration but should also include its benefits to the infant, mother, family and community.
2. The content of health talks regarding exclusive breast feeding by health workers need to be evaluated so that messages can be communicated effectively to mothers.
3. Health care providers should enlighten mothers about the possibility, process and storage of expressing breast milk for later use when separated from the child due to work or study.
4. There is also the need for periodic retraining of relevant health workers on the practice of

EBF and strategies introduced for regular monitoring and evaluation of the practice.

5. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
6. Myths and misconceptions should be addressed in a culturally sensitive manner, utilizing various modes and channels of communication.
7. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.

REFERENCES

• World Health Organization. Exclusive breastfeeding. [Online]. 2009. Available from: URL:http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/exclusivebreastfeeding/en/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2014.
• Nancy FB, Mardia GI, Cutbero G. Nutrient adequacy of exclusive breast feeding for term infant during the first six months of life, Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002. p.5
• United Nations Children’s Fund. Nutrition; the big picture [Online]. Updated 2008 Oct 1. Available from: URL: http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_bigpicture.html. Accessed 19 Dec. 2014.
• Jones G, Steketle RW, Black RE, Bhutta ZA, Morris SS, Bellagio child survival strategy group. How many child deaths can we prevent this year? Lancet 2003; 362: 65 – 71.
• Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey 2008. National Population Commission. Federal Republic of Nigeria
• Macadam, P.S, Dettwyler, K., A. Breastfeeding: bio cultural perspectives. Walter de Gruyter, Inc. New York. 1995.
• Picciano MF. Representative values for constituents of human milk. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2001; 48(1):263-4.
• Kramer MS, Aboud F, Mironova E, Vanilovich I, Platt RW and Matush L. Breastfeeding and child cognitive development: new evidence from a large randomized trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008; 65(5):578-84.
• Hamosh M. Bioactive factors in human milk. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2001; 48(1):69-86.
• M.S SWO. The Complete Book of Breastfeeding. Broadway, New York,: 83  Workman Publishing Co. Inc.; 1999.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD CHAPTERS 1-5 PROCEED TO DOWNLOAD Added to cart