Conference abstract
Factors influencing early initiation of breastfeeding amongst postpartum mothers in the Dschang Health District
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2023:18(68).03
Oct 2023.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2023.18.68.2022
Archived on: 03 Oct 2023
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Breastfeeding, postpartum mothers, Dschang Health District
Poster
Factors influencing early initiation of breastfeeding amongst postpartum mothers in the Dschang Health District
Ngam Me-Gi-Nee1,&, Djam Chefor1, Kenfack Bruno1,2
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon, 2Head of Maternity Unit, Dschang Regional Annex Hospital, Dschang, Cameroon
&Corresponding author
Introduction: the World Health Organization recommends that all neonates be breastfed within one hour of birth. Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is one of the most simple and essential interventions for child development and survival; its practice is thus associated with prolonged duration of breastfeeding and reduction of infant mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of EIBF and the factors influencing its practice among postpartum mothers in the Dschang Health District.
Methods: this was a health facility-based cross-sectional analytical study carried out from March 2023 to April 2023 among postpartum mothers having children in the age range 0 to 6 weeks in the Dschang Health District. The sample size calculated was 383 participants and results were analysed for 399 participants. The hospitals included in the study were selected using a purposive sampling method and participants were selected in the different hospitals by consecutive sampling. Ethical permission was obtained. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Microsoft Excel 2016 was used for data cleaning and SPSS 25 for data analysis.
Results: of 399 participants, 216 (54.1%) practiced EIBF and knew that it was very good, very nutritious, and full of antibodies to protect their babies, while 183 (45.9%) did not practice and their reasons for late initiation were: the baby was sleeping, they felt weak due to childbirth, they were still recovering from anesthesia, their breastmilk wasn’t flowing and the baby was administered in the intensive care unit after delivery. The level of education (p=0.026), mode of delivery (p<0.001), and coming into contact with the baby within 1 hour after delivery (p<0.001) were significantly associated with early initiation of breastfeeding.
Conclusion: this study revealed that the rate of early breastfeeding initiation in the Dschang Health District is low. It identified severable modifiable factors that are associated with EIBF and this would help the Cameroonian health authorities and non-governmental organizations who are working with mothers and children's health and nutrition to implement strategies that would help increase the rate of EIBF.
Factors influencing early initiation of breastfeeding amongst postpartum mothers in the Dschang Health District
Ngam Me-Gi-Nee1,&, Djam Chefor1, Kenfack Bruno1,2
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon, 2Head of Maternity Unit, Dschang Regional Annex Hospital, Dschang, Cameroon
&Corresponding author
Introduction: the World Health Organization recommends that all neonates be breastfed within one hour of birth. Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is one of the most simple and essential interventions for child development and survival; its practice is thus associated with prolonged duration of breastfeeding and reduction of infant mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of EIBF and the factors influencing its practice among postpartum mothers in the Dschang Health District.
Methods: this was a health facility-based cross-sectional analytical study carried out from March 2023 to April 2023 among postpartum mothers having children in the age range 0 to 6 weeks in the Dschang Health District. The sample size calculated was 383 participants and results were analysed for 399 participants. The hospitals included in the study were selected using a purposive sampling method and participants were selected in the different hospitals by consecutive sampling. Ethical permission was obtained. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Microsoft Excel 2016 was used for data cleaning and SPSS 25 for data analysis.
Results: of 399 participants, 216 (54.1%) practiced EIBF and knew that it was very good, very nutritious, and full of antibodies to protect their babies, while 183 (45.9%) did not practice and their reasons for late initiation were: the baby was sleeping, they felt weak due to childbirth, they were still recovering from anesthesia, their breastmilk wasn’t flowing and the baby was administered in the intensive care unit after delivery. The level of education (p=0.026), mode of delivery (p<0.001), and coming into contact with the baby within 1 hour after delivery (p<0.001) were significantly associated with early initiation of breastfeeding.
Conclusion: this study revealed that the rate of early breastfeeding initiation in the Dschang Health District is low. It identified severable modifiable factors that are associated with EIBF and this would help the Cameroonian health authorities and non-governmental organizations who are working with mothers and children's health and nutrition to implement strategies that would help increase the rate of EIBF.
