Infant Feeding Practices in Khartoum Province
Infant Feeding Practices in Khartoum Province
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Date
2015-03-26
Authors
Ibrahim, Maha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UOFK
Abstract
Infant feeding the most beneficial form of feeding children in their
early life, is of great importance as a determinant of child wellbeing as
well as setting roots for better health in adulthood.
The study we have endeavored to perform is a community based,
descriptive, comparative, retrospective and randomized study. It was
conducted in Khartoum Province in three different areas, Al-Riadh (urban
elite), Al-Salama (peri-urban moderate) and Mayo (peri-urban poor) in
the period from Jan 2000 to Jun 2000.
The study was designed and conducted in order to evaluate the
current infant feeding practices among mothers in Khartoum, to evaluate
their knowledge about the optimum infant-feeding practices and to study
the effect of different infant feeding practices on children's physical
growth and haemoglobin status. 435 children were included in the study,
137 from Al-Riadh, 146 from Al-Salama and 152 from Mayo.
Breast-feeding was practiced by (96.1%) of the population
mothers, with no difference in this practice in the three areas of study.
Breast-feeding initiation was early in 61.1%, delay being commoner
among peri-urban poor population. Colostrum feeding rate was also high
being 88.7%. Most mothers (90.2%) fed their children on demand,
mothers who practiced scheduled feeding were mainly from the urban
elite population where (21.4%) of the mothers there fed their children on
hourly schedule.
The main mode of feeding practiced by the mothers during infancy was
breast-feeding in (58.6%), (19.1%) were artificially fed while (22.3%)
were given mixed feeding.
Exclusive breast-feeding was practiced by only (45.9%) of the
population, (78.6%) of urban elite mothers, while in peri-urban moderate
and peri urban poor only (32.4%) and (29.7%) practiced it respectively.
Early supplementation before the age of two weeks was a common
practice in (34.0%), the practice was commoner among peri-urban
moderate and peri-urban poor where they constituted (41.1%) and
(41.5%) respectively. Solid food introduction was initiated in (71.5%)
between the age of 4-7 months in the three areas.
Feeding bottles were used by (38.9%) while (61.1%) used cups and
spoons in giving fluids. Urban elite mothers used feeding bottles much
more (73.7%) than the other two groups. Most mothers in peri-urban
moderate and poor areas who used feeding bottled had one bottle only
(31.8%) in the former and (70.8%) in the latter, while mothers from
urban elite had two or more bottles (79.2%).
Weaning was gradual in most children (63.9%), sudden weaning
mostly due to a new pregnancy was practiced by peri-urban mothers.
Urban elite mothers weaned their babies earlier, mostly at the age of 12-
17 months, while the other two groups weaned their babies at the age of
18-24 months.
The knowledge of mothers was good in (52.2%), while attitude
score was good in (72.2%), practice score was good in (80%). Mothers
from the peri-urban areas had lower scores, especially so in the
knowledge, where only (47.9%) in the moderate and (32.2%) in the poor
areas scored good in knowledge. In the urban mothers, good knowledge
was scored by (78.8%) of mothers.
The number of diarrhoeal episodes was found to be related to
exclusive breast-feeding. (34.3%) of the exclusively breast-fed population
had no diarrhoea in the first year of life, while in the supplemented group
they were only (3.6%). More diarrhoeal episodes per year were recorded
among the supplemented group, the difference being of high significance.
However, age at the first episode of diarrhoea did not show significant
correlation with mode of feeding.
Growth parameters in relation to mode of feeding showed no
statistically significant differences in the three study areas.
Haemoglobin tended to be higher among the breast-fed (mean =
11.5 gm/dl) group in comparison with the artificially fed (10.8 gm/dl) and
the mixed fed children (10.9 gm/dl). The variation in haemoglobin in
relation to mode of feeding was found to be of statistical significance
only in Mayo, where anaemia tended to be less common among breastfed
infants than the other two modes of feeding
Description
213page
Keywords
Ancient evidence of breast-feeding patterns,infant feeding,INFANT FEEDING TRENDS,Breast feeding and food allergy