The Effect of Breast Milk Insufficiency Perception on Exclusive Breastfeeding among Nursing Mothers at Ketu South Municipal Hospital

Abstract

Background Inadequate breastfeeding of infants leads to poor nutrition among them, which adversely affect their development. The perception that breast milk alone is insufficient for growth and development of infants presents a major challenge to the practice of exclusive breastfeeding for six months by nursing mothers. Objective To assess the effect of mothers perception of insufficient breast milk as insufficient food on exclusive breast feeding among mothers of infants aged 6-12 months attending CWC in Ketu South Municipal Hospital Methods The study was a facility based cross-sectional design and quantitative data collection approach using structured questionnaire. Nursing mothers with infants aged 6-12 months were interviewed using structured questionnaire and a consecutive sampling technique at the Ketu South Municipal Hospital. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and mothers’ perception of insufficient breast milk among the nursing mothers were also determined. Descriptive statistics such as means ± SD, frequency and percentages were used to describe demographic characteristics of the study population. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between the independent and dependent variables. Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated for each of the independent variables and statistical significance was accepted at a 5% probability level (p ≤0.05). RESULTS Binary logistic regression models showed that the effect of mother’s perception of insufficient breast milk was significantly predictive of exclusive breastfeeding (p<0.001).The odds of nursing mother practicing exclusive breast feeding was 5.9 times higher among those with the view that breast milk is sufficient for EBF than those who have the insufficiency perception. Also, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers of infants aged 6- 12 months attending the CWC in Ketu South Municipal Hospital was 75%, though higher than national average of 52% was less than the expected WHO target of 80%. The level of mother’s perception of insufficient breast milk was 34.5% and 73.5% of the participants had adequate knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion The study revealed a high rate of EBF practice among mothers of infants aged 6-12 months attending CWC at Ketu South Municipal Hospital, which however, was lower than the 80% target set by the WHO. The prevalence of EBF among participant mothers with high perception of breast milk as insufficient food for EBF was lower compared to that of mothers with low perception of breast milk as insufficient food. Additionally, though a high proportion of nursing mothers in this study have adequate knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding the proportion was lower than the 80% target set by the WHO. Finally, the high level of perception of breast milk as insufficient food for EBF among the study participants must be reduced if the country is to achieve the 80% WHO-EBF target by 2020. More education is therefore needed to change the mothers’ perception about breast milk as insufficient food for the first six months of life.