Abstract
Introduction:In C?te d’Ivoire, despite awareness raising among mothers by health authorities and health care providers, the exclusive breastfeeding rate is still low, 23%. This rate seems even lower in rural areas. The objective of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers regarding exclusive breastfeeding for the reduction of malnutrition in rural areas. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Brobo from July to September 2020. It included consenting mothers of infants aged 0 to 24 months. Mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and practice were assessed by an anonymous structured questionnaire with a performance threshold set at 75%. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding were investigated by the Chi-square test at the 5% level of significance. Results: The average age of the 183 mothers was 25 years (extremes 13 and 49 years). They were primigravida (33%) and had a low socioeconomic level (84%). The mothers knew the definition of exclusive breastfeeding (33%). They knew that breastfeeding promoted ideal infant growth (64%) and protected against diarrhea and infection (18%). They also knew that breastfeeding reduced the mother’s risk of cancer (16%) and strengthened the mother-infant bond (7%). The mothers interviewed stated that they had put the baby to the breast within the first hour after delivery in 2% and 63% of them gave the baby colostrum. Mothers were confident about breastfeeding (91%) and exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age represented 9%. The factor associated with lack of knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding was not attending school (OR 0.26; 95%CI 0.14 - 0.48; p - 22.21; p = 0.03) and multiparity (OR 0.30; 95%CI 0.09 - 0.97; p = 0.04). Conclusion: The mothers interviewed in the rural areas of Brobo have insufficient knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding exclusive breastfeeding. To improve this situation, we recommend capacity building of mothers through awareness raising.
Highlights
In Côte d’Ivoire, despite awareness raising among mothers by health authorities and health care providers, the exclusive breastfeeding rate is still low, 23%
Regarding sub-Saharan Africa, despite the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in most countries, many children still do not benefit from this nutritional modality for up to 6 months
The difficulties encountered were breast pain (27%) and hypogalactorhea (22%). This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural setting over a period of 3 months in the N’dènou tribe of the Ahaly Canton of Brobo in Côte d’Ivoire aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding the feeding of infants aged 0 to 6 months
Summary
In Côte d’Ivoire, despite awareness raising among mothers by health authorities and health care providers, the exclusive breastfeeding rate is still low, 23%. This rate seems even lower in rural areas. Only 47% of mothers were exclusively breastfeeding their offspring until 6 months of age in 2018 In reality, this rate varies from continent to continent: Europe 43.7%, America 43.9%, Asia 55.2%, Africa 41.7% [4]. Regarding sub-Saharan Africa, almost all mothers practice breastfeeding, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is still low, varying between 23% and 53.5% [5]. This breastfeeding rate is below the target of 50% set by the Ivorian government over the period from 2016 to 2020 [7]
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