Abstract
BackgroundDespite the ongoing efforts to improve infant feeding practices, low rates of breastfeeding and early introduction of complementary feeding have been reported in many countries. Systematic documentation of breastfeeding practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is needed in order to directing successful strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate breastfeeding practices among mothers in Abu Dhabi, UAE, using the World Health Organization (WHO) infant and young child feeding indicators.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, mothers of children below the age of two were recruited from the community and health centers located in different areas in Abu Dhabi. Following informed consent, a structured questionnaire including WHO-indicators was used for in-person interviews on sociodemographics and breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) was calculated as the percentage of babies 0 – < 6 months of age who had been exclusively breastfed in the last 24 h.ResultsA total of 1822 mothers participated in the study; 95.6% (1741/1822) of mothers initiated breastfeeding and 59.8% (1089/1822) initiated breastfeeding within the first hour. Exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0–6 months was 44.3% (362/818). Although the median duration of “any breastfeeding” was 12 months (95% CI 11.2, 12.7), the median duration of EBF was 3 months (95% CI 2.8, 3.3). Most of the children (894/1004, 89%) aged 6 months and above were receiving complementary feeding, but 21.7% (218/1004) of them had had an early introduction of complementary feeding, i.e. before 6 months of age. Using “the WHO infant and young child feeding indicators” as standard for comparative evaluation, breastfeeding initiation was rated “good”, the proportion of children being exclusively breastfed until 6 months was rated “fair” and the duration of EBF was considered “poor”.ConclusionsAccording to the WHO infant feeding indicators the breastfeeding practices were suboptimal in several aspects with a low proportion of children being exclusively breastfed, short breastfeeding duration and early introduction of complementary feeding, despite high socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that there is a need to understand potential barriers towards breastfeeding in order to develop appropriate strategies to promote and support breastfeeding in Abu Dhabi.
Highlights
Despite the ongoing efforts to improve infant feeding practices, low rates of breastfeeding and early introduction of complementary feeding have been reported in many countries
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designed a tool where a set of indicators related to infant feeding practices are helping users, like governments, to determine strengths and weaknesses and potential need for improvements related to exististing practices, policies and procedures [13]
The finding of Emirati mothers initiating breastfeeding to a lower extent than the other nationality groups is somewhat surprising as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a Muslim country and Islam emphasizes the importance of breastfeeding
Summary
Despite the ongoing efforts to improve infant feeding practices, low rates of breastfeeding and early introduction of complementary feeding have been reported in many countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate breastfeeding practices among mothers in Abu Dhabi, UAE, using the World Health Organization (WHO) infant and young child feeding indicators. The feeding practices from birth to 24 months are of utmost importance to meet the evolving nutritional requirements of infants and young children. The global strategy for infant and young child feeding recommends that breastfeeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth, and breast milk exclusively, should be used to feed infants during the first 6 months of life [8]. It has been shown that nutritional adequacy and proper timing of complementary feeding are crucial to the prevention of infant morbidity and mortality, including malnutrition and overweightness [11, 12]. The WHO has designed a tool where a set of indicators related to infant feeding practices are helping users, like governments, to determine strengths and weaknesses and potential need for improvements related to exististing practices, policies and procedures [13]
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