Exploring the factors associated with prelacteal feeds in Papua New Guinea: a population-based survey
McKenzie Maviso1, Elias Namosha2, Georgia S Guldan2
1Division of Public Health, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea mckenzie.maviso@upng.ac.pg.
Insights
Prelacteal feeding is common in Papua New Guinea, with about 10% of women providing these harmful early feeds. Factors like lower education and home births increase the odds of this practice.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Child Health
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Prelacteal feeding negatively impacts infant health by disrupting breastfeeding and increasing mortality risk.
- Despite known risks, prelacteal feeding remains a concern in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors associated with prelacteal feeding practices among women in Papua New Guinea.
Main Methods:
- Population-based cross-sectional study utilizing Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data.
- Multivariable logistic regression with complex sample analysis was employed.
- A total weighted sample of 4399 women in PNG was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Approximately 10% of women in PNG provided prelacteal feeds, most commonly plain water.
- Higher odds of prelacteal feeding were associated with no/primary education, caesarean section, and home/village births.
- Women from the Islands region also showed higher odds of providing prelacteal feeds.
Conclusions:
- Prelacteal feeding is a prevalent practice in PNG requiring targeted health education and behavior change communication.
- Promoting facility-based births and early breastfeeding initiation is crucial, especially for rural and disadvantaged women.
Background:
Prelacteal feeding disrupts early breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding, and increases the risk of childhood illnesses and under-five mortality. Despite its negative health outcomes, newborns are given prelacteal feeds in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This study investigated the factors associated with prelacteal feeding practices among women in PNG.
Design:
A population-based cross-sectional study based on Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. Multivariable logistic regression using complex sample analysis was performed to control for the effects of potential confounders. Variables with p ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Setting:
Papua New Guinea.
Participants:
A total weighted sample of 4399 women was included in the study.
Outcome Measure:
Prelacteal feeds.
Results:
About 10% of women provided prelacteal feeds to their infants. The most frequently reported prelacteal feed was plain water (71.7%), followed by grain-based (eg, noodles) (47.1%), dark green leafy vegetables (42.1%) and soup (39.7%). Women with no formal (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0-3.0) or primary (AOR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.9) education, who had a caesarean section (AOR 4.1, 95% CI: 2.4-7.2), had given birth at home or in the village (AOR 3.7, 95% CI: 2.1-6.8) and from the Islands region (AOR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.5-3.5) had higher odds of providing prelacteal feeds.
Conclusion:
Our study revealed that providing prelacteal feeds is common in PNG. Tailored health education and behaviour change communication are necessary to address this harmful infant feeding practice. Furthermore, the promotion of facility-based births and early breastfeeding practices should be prioritised using existing strategies, especially for disadvantaged and rural women.
