Roles and Associated Sociodemographic Correlates of Male Involvement in Breastfeeding in Juba, South Sudan

Abstract

Optimal breastfeeding, which involves initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth, giving colostrum, exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and introducing complementary food at six months, prevents under-five deaths in developing countries, saving millions of lives annually. The maximum effect of prolactin and oxytocin on milk production is dependent on insulin, insulin-like growth factors, cortisol, and the intake of nutrients and fluids. Stress affects these factors and processes, reducing the quantity and quality of milk for the growth and health of the baby. The supportive or non-supportive role of male partners affects the mothers' physical and emotional states. The researchers administered a structured questionnaire of 13 close-ended questions through scheduled interviews with 275 male parents of children younger than two years. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0 analyzed the data to generate frequencies, median, and interquartile range as measures of dispersion and central tendency, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation test did the calculations of correlations. Fathers helped with house works, responding to the baby's cries and bathing the baby (86%); taking care of other children or other house responsibilities (85%); taking care of the baby while the mother sleeps for a bit of time (85%) and smiling, holding and watching the mother as she breastfeeds (91%). Roles were correlated with education level (r=.308, p=0.000<0.05) and employment (r=-.155, p=.007<0.05) but not with hours of work (r=0.049, p=0.448>0.05).