Breastfeeding rates and barriers: a report from the State of Qatar

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to outline breastfeeding barriers faced by women residing in the State of Qatar.MethodsA cross-sectional study through a telephone interview was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, the only tertiary care and accredited academic institution in the State of Qatar. Mothers of children born between the period of January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 in the State of Qatar were contacted.ResultsOf the total 840 mothers who were contacted for the telephone survey, 453 mothers agreed to be interviewed (response rate 53.9%), while 364 (43.3%) did not answer the phone, and 21 (2.5%) answered the phone but refused to participate in the study. The overall breastfeeding initiation rate among the mothers was 96.2%, with 3.8% mothers reporting that they had never breastfed their baby. The percentage of mothers who exclusively breastfed their children in the first 6 months was 24.3%. The most common barriers to breastfeeding as perceived by our participants were the following: perception of lack of sufficient breast milk after delivery (44%), formula is easy to use and more available soon after birth (17.8%), mom had to return to work (16.3%), lack of adequate knowledge about breastfeeding (6.5%), and the concept that the infant did not tolerate breast milk (4.9%).ConclusionExclusive breastfeeding barriers as perceived by women residing in the State of Qatar, a wealthy rapidly developing country, do not differ much from those in other nations. What varies are the tremendous medical resources and the easy and comfortable access to health care in our community. We plan to implement a nationwide campaign to establish a prenatal breastfeeding counseling visit for all expecting mothers.

Barriers to exclusive breastfeeding in rural community of central Gujarat, India

“…In contrast to this, religion was not found to be an influencing factor in one Ghanian[34] and two Indian studies. [3132] In congruence to the number of studies conducted in India and abroad,[21232425262835363738] our study demonstrated lower EBF rates in working mothers compared with nonworking ones. Such finding emphasizes the need for leave assistance to mothers that allows them resume work after 6 months of childbirth.…”

“…[243043444546] Similarly, poor or inadequate knowledge about breastfeeding was found to be an important barrier to EBF in studies conducted in Sri Lanka[21] and in the state of Qatar. [23] Moreover, our study has recognized the importance of mother's role in decision-making about infant feeding. We found a significantly higher proportion of infants being exclusively breastfed when their mothers were the decision-makers for their feeding.…”

“…[19] However, the EBF rate we detected in our study is comparable to that found in studies conducted in rural south India (48.5%),[20] and in our neighboring country Sri Lanka (50.8%). [21] Interestingly, studies conducted in middle-east countries like Jordan,[22] Qatar,[23] and Saudi Arabia[24] reported very low EBF rates of 2.1%, 24.3%, and 37%, respectively.…”

The effects of mother’s education on achieving exclusive breastfeeding in Indonesia

“…Studies in Qatar and Ethiopia find that the employment status was one of the barriers to the success of EBF. Plausibly mothers must return to work immediately after the maternity leave period runs out [ 23 , 24 ]. Having flexible work schedules and workplace proximity to home can assist the sustainability of breastfeeding [ 25 ].…”

Factors affecting breast-feeding practice among a sample of Iranian women: a structural equation modeling approach

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months [11]. Despite the global efforts to increase breastfeeding, this index has increased only by 6% in developing countries from 1995 to 2010 (from 33 to 39%) [12]. The improvement in breastfeeding may save the lives of five thousand children around the world every day [13].…”