Level of awareness of the baby friendly initiative among home economics teachers in Nigeria

A cross-sectional questionnaire was used to assess the level of awareness of the Baby Friendly Initiative among Home Economics teachers in Nigeria. Only 34.5 per cent of the teachers were able to define BFI as the Baby Friendly Initiative while 60 per cent defined exclusive breastfeeding correctly. Although 70.2 per cent acknowledged that breastfeeding prevents malnutrition in babies, only 12.5 per cent knew about the protective effects of colostrum. Of the study population 29.8 per cent knew that breastfeeding should be on demand and not regulated. Over 80 per cent of the teachers advocated that the BFI should be taught at all level of education. We conclude that their knowledge of the BFI is poor and that they will require further education before hey can be used effectively as resource personnel in training girls (potential mothers) in BFI. © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.