Factors Influencing the Adoption of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices Among Teenage Rural Mothers in Ogun and Oyo State, Nigeria

doi:10.7176/jep/12-33-10

Abstract

The feeding of an infant with breast milk only for six months exclusion of all other feeds, liquids or solids, including water except approved by medical doctor for a reason; within the first half year of life is referred to as exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). in spite of its numerous benefits, not every mothers practiced it because of one reason or the other. This study examined the factors influencing the adoption of exclusive breastfeeding practices among teenage rural mothers in Ogun and Oyo State, Nigeria. Explorative research design and multi-stage sampling method was used to select respondents for the study and structured questionnaire was administered to four hundred and fifteen (415) teenage rural mothers, In-depth interviews were also held with breastfeeding rural mothers and ten (10) focus group discussion session with grandmothers in the study area. The result reveals that 59.1% and 61.0% of the respondents were between the age range of 17 – 19 with the mean age of 19years and majority (81.4% and 93.0) was Yoruba in Ogun and Oyo State respectively. Majority (60.9% and 62.0%) of the respondents receive information about exclusive breastfeeding in the study location, while above half (51.6% and 55.5%) of the respondents in Oyo and Ogun State indicated that they practice exclusive breastfeeding in the study area. Most (36.3% and 37.5%) of the respondents in Oyo and Ogun States admitted that they breastfeed their child for more than 11 times on a daily basis in Ogun and Oyo State respectively. Result revealed that personal determination/experience (x̅ = 3.73 and 3.78), encouragement from their mothers (x̅ = 3.72 and 3.76) and nurse and midwife advice (x̅ = 3.70 and 3.55) in Oyo and Ogun State respectively. Regression result shows that factors such as age, household size, educational level, ethnicity, occupation and place of delivery are seen to be significant and have positive relationship with factor influencing the adoption of exclusive breast feeding in the study area. It was concluded that compliance to Exclusive Breastfeeding for six months was still minima in Ogun and Oyo State. The study therefore recommended that policies aimed at improving exclusive breastfeeding uptake should also incorporate significant others (grandmothers, mothers in- laws, and husbands) in the process of encouraging breastfeeding mothers. Keywords: Factors Influencing; Perception: Adoption: Rural; Exclusive Breastfeeding: Teenage Rural Mothers. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-33-10 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

Highlights

Inappropriate feeding practices among infant during the first two years of life are a major cause of undernutrition in young children
The results show that all the twenty (20) perception statements in Oyo state has the mean values greater than 3.00 while perceptions of teenage rural mothers about exclusive breastfeeding in Ogun State showed that seventeen (17) statement has the mean value greater than 3.00 and three (3) perception statement has mean value less than 3.00
Based on the findings of this study, compliance to Exclusive Breastfeeding by teenage rural mothers in Ogun and Oyo State was still at minimal level of utilization in Ogun and Oyo State, Nigeria under the study

Summary

Introduction

Inappropriate feeding practices among infant during the first two years of life are a major cause of undernutrition in young children. Breastfeeding practices, including initiation and duration, are influenced by multiple interwoven factors which include health, psychosocial, cultural, political, and economic factors (Cripe, 2008) Among these factors, decisions regarding initiation and duration of breastfeeding in low-income countries are influenced by education, employment, place of delivery, family pressure, and cultural values (WHO, 2005, Gartner 2005, Ogunlesi, 2010, Henry et al, 2010 and Otoo, Lartey and Perez-Escamilia, 2009). Among the Yoruba people, a common belief around infant feeding is that exclusive breastfeeding is beneficial to both infants and mothers, but complementary feeding is essential for babies to adapt to other meals with ease (Ojofeitimi et al, 2000, Lawoyin, et al, 2001 and Tella et al, 2008) Maternal characteristics such as age, income, education, knowledge, and ethnicity have been associated with the initiation and continuation of EBF (Wiener and Wiener, 2011). In Nigeria, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding has varied widely from 67% in Jos, north-central (Ogbonna and Daboer, 2007), 52.9% in Lagos, southwest (Okafor, Olatona and Olufemi, 2014) to 37.3% in Anambra, southeast (Ukegbu, Ebenebe, Ukegbu and Onyeonoro, 2011) and a national average of17%, as reported in the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys of 2003 and 2013 (NPC,2004, 2014)

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