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Published on: September 22, 2023
Barriers to exclusive breastfeeding among infants aged 0-6 months in Eldoret municipality, Kenya
C E Cherop1, A G Keverenge-Ettyang, G M Mbagaya
1School of Public Health, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
Insights
Mothers perceive breast milk as unsatisfying or insufficient, hindering exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for infants up to six months. Inadequate knowledge may be a key barrier to achieving optimal infant nutrition through EBF in Kenya.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition
Background:
- Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) up to six months is recommended by WHO for optimal infant growth and development.
- Low EBF prevalence in Kenya necessitates identifying barriers to inform interventions.
- This study addresses the need to understand challenges mothers face in practicing EBF.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify barriers to exclusive breastfeeding for infants aged 0-6 months in Eldoret, Kenya.
- To provide data for developing strategies to increase EBF rates in the community.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 384 mother-infant pairs was conducted in urban Eldoret.
- Data was collected using questionnaires at maternal and child health clinics.
- Simple random sampling and SPSS version 12.0 were used for data analysis.
Main Results:
- The primary barriers reported were perceived unsatisfying breast milk (64.4%) and insufficient milk production (14.3%).
- Other barriers included improving infant nutritional status (7.4%), infant learning other foods (7.7%), and mothers returning to work (6.1%).
- Maternal age distribution and infant demographics were also recorded.
Conclusions:
- Inadequate maternal knowledge about breastfeeding appears to be a significant barrier to EBF.
- Addressing these barriers is crucial for increasing EBF rates and improving infant health outcomes.
Objective:
Breast milk is the best source of nutrients for young infants. It promotes optimal growth and development. WHO recommends Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life as the best way of feeding an infant. EBF Prevalence in Kenya is low, there is need to find out barriers to EBF, hence the study. The objective of the study was to establish barriers to EBF to 6 months among infants aged 0-6 months.
Methods:
The study was cross-sectional involving 384 mother-infant pair visiting Huruma and West, maternal and child health (MCH) clinics. This study was done in the urban setting of Eldoret. Simple random sampling technique was used to get the desired sample size of 384. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 12.0.
Results:
Maternal age was categorized into mothers with; <24 years (n=207, 53.9%), 25-29 years (n=116, 30.2%), 30-35 years (n=35, 9.1%) and >35 years (n=24, 6.3%). Over half (n=198, 51.5%) of infants were female and 48.5%( n= 186) were male. The median and mean age of infants in the study was 2.3 and 2 months respectively. Reported barriers to exclusive breastfeeding included; breast milk unsatisfying to the infant (n=157, 64.4%), insufficient breast milk production (n=35, 14.3%), to improve nutritional status of the infant (n=18, 7.4%), for the infant learns to feed on other foods (n=19, 7.7%) and in order for mothers to resume work (n=15, 6.1%).
Conclusion:
Barriers to EBF in the study may be attributed to inadequate breastfeeding knowledge among the mothers. This study is important in devising strategies that will increase EBF in the community.
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