Abstract
BackgroundThe proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies up to 6 months remains low. Determinants of breastfeeding practices have been largely documented in high-income countries. Little evidence exists on possible predictors of breastfeeding behaviors in the Middle East. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of breastfeeding in Beirut and determine the factors that impact breastfeeding behavior in this population.MethodsData for this longitudinal study is nested within a randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing the impact of a 24-hour hotline and postpartum support film on postpartum stress. Healthy first-time mothers delivering in the capital Beirut between March and July 2009, were interviewed at 1–3 days and 8–12 weeks post delivery. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding at 8–12 weeks postpartum.ResultsThe overall breastfeeding rate at 8–12 weeks postpartum was 67%. The exclusive breastfeeding rate was 27.4%. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding included maternal work (OR=3.92; p-value<0.001), planned pregnancy (OR=2.42, p-value=0.010), intention to breastfeed (OR=3.28; p-value=0.043), source of maternal emotional support (OR = 1.87, p-value=0.039) and the use the postpartum support video, the hotline service or both (OR=2.55, p-value=0.044; OR=3.87, p-value=0.004 and OR=4.13, p-value=0.003).ConclusionsThe proportion of healthy first-time mothers who exclusively breastfeed in Beirut is extremely low. Factors associated with breastfeeding behavior are diverse. Future research and interventions should target different levels of the maternal-child pair’s ecosystem.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00857051
Highlights
The proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies up to 6 months remains low
There were no significant differences between the socio-demographic characteristics of women who participated and those who refused
There were no significant differences between the socio-demographic characteristics of women who were assessed and those who were lost to follow up
Summary
The proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies up to 6 months remains low. Breastfeeding has been shown to protect infants against common acute childhood infections, enhance the immune system, decrease rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), promote cognitive development and prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus (type 1 and 2), asthma and certain pediatric malignancies [1]. It protects mothers against breast and ovarian. Most studies on determinants of breastfeeding have been conducted in high-income countries and as such, findings may not be applicable to low and middleincome countries Among the latter, the Middle East region has been largely under-represented until recent years
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call