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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Traditional oral remedies and perceived breast milk insufficiency are major barriers to exclusive breastfeeding in rural Zimbabwe
Journal of Nutrition, Volume 144, No. 7, Year 2014
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Description
Only 5.8% of Zimbabwean infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 mo of life despite substantial investment in exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) promotion throughout the country. We conducted a survey of 295 mothers of infants <6 mo of age who were recruited from rural immunization clinics and outreach sites in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. We explored infant feeding knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, and details regarding facilitators for EBF mothers and first foods fed by non-EBFmothers to identify and understand barriers to EBF.Amongmothers of infants <1 mo, 1 to <2 mo, and 2-6 mo of age, 54%, 30%, and 12%, respectively,were practicing EBF. In adjustedmultivariate analyses, EBF practice was positively associated with belief in the sufficiency of EBF (P = 0.05), belief in the avoidance of cooking oil feeding (a common traditional practice) in the first6mo (P = 0.001), and perceived pressure fromothers regarding infant feeding and traditionalmedicine use (P = 0.03). Psychosocial support and viewing breast milk as sufficient were reported as primary facilitators of EBF practice. Maternal responses to open-ended questions identified protection, nutrition, and crying as the main reasons for EBF interruption. During the first 2 mo of life, "protection feedings" using traditional oral remedies (such as cooking oil and water) to prevent or treat perceived illness, specifically colic and sunken/depressed fontanel, made up 78.5%of the non-breast milk feeds. From the second month of life, "nutrition feedings," mainly of water and porridge, were given when mothers believed their breast milk was insufficient in quantity or quality to meet the hunger or thirst needs of their infants. Our findings underscore the importance of exploring cultural beliefs and practices as they pertain to infant feeding and care and present insights for designing and targeting EBF promotion interventions. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC4056649/bin/supp_144_7_1113__index.html
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC4056649/bin/jn.113.188714_nutrition188714SupplementaryData1.pdf
Authors & Co-Authors
Desai, Amy
United States, Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Mbuya, Mduduzi N.N.
Zimbabwe, Harare
Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research
United States, Ithaca
Cornell University
Chigumira, Ancikaria
Zimbabwe, Harare
Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Zimbabwe
Chasekwa, Bernard
Zimbabwe, Harare
Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research
Humphrey, Jean H.
United States, Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Zimbabwe, Harare
Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research
Moulton, Lawrence H.
United States, Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Pelto, Gretel H.
United States, Ithaca
Cornell University
Gerema, Grace
Zimbabwe, Harare
Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research
Stoltzfus, Rebecca Joyce
United States, Ithaca
Cornell University
Statistics
Citations: 39
Authors: 9
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.3945/jn.113.188714
ISSN:
00223166
Research Areas
Environmental
Food Security
Health System And Policy
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Zimbabwe