Infant Feeding and Health in Ibadan

Abstract

Infant feeding and health in Ibadan Nigeria is examined. Money is being wasted in Nigeria by the introduction of bottle feeding during the early months when breastfeeding is in most cases adequate. The infant is exposed to diarrheal diseases through artificial feeding under conditions of poor sanitation in the home. There are few comprehensive studies of milk feeding in Nigeria. A study undertaken in Ibadan by the Food and Science and Applied Nutrition Unit of the University showed the differences in practice between middle class and illiterate mothers in infant feeding. The following were among the study findings: 1) breastfeeding has declined markedly as the exclusive method of feeding young infants with only 25% of Ibadan mothers feeding their children entirely on the breast; 2) only 1 mother out of the 500 studied used bottle feeding exclusively; 3) 95% of the mothers who combine breast and bottle feeding believed that they were advised to do so by nurses midwives or physicians; 4) the price of packaged milks set against low incomes led many mothers to use milks far below the recommended quantities for each feed; 5) most mothers stopped bottle feeding by 12 months but breastfeeding tended to continue for 18 months to 2 years; 6) most of the children even up to age 4 were being given pap daily and up to age 1 year there was virtually no usage of animal proteins; 7) the father played a major role in the choice and purchase of food and medicine for the child; and 8) the introduction of a protein rich packaged food is under consideration by commercial companies. Weaning has now become more gradual with solids being introduced from the age of about 6 months. The poorly nourished child of 6 months and older has a lower growth rate and a lowered resistance to infectious diseases. Children who are poor in Ibadan are undernourished although there is no evidence of widespread starvation in the community. The primary causes of infant malnutrition are poverty ignorance and too ready acceptance of bottle feeding in partial replacement of breastfeeding.