Knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers on breastfeeding in urban environment in dakar

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers on breastfeeding Material and method: This is a prospective study involving 510 mothers, based on individual interviews from November 19, 2015 to April 26, 2016. Results: 37.3% had received information about breastfeeding during pregnancy. Exclusive breastfeeding was more practiced by educated mothers (p = 0.01). Colostrum was given to the child in 95.3%. Nearly half of the mothers introduced a additional diet before 6 months. Breastfeeding on demand was practiced by 82.5% of mothers. The position of the Madonna was adopted by 99.4% of the mothers. Almost all mothers were unaware that breast milk could be preserved. The beneficial role of milk in the prevention of allergies, diabetes and obesity was only known by 1.2% of mothers. Conclusion: A lack of knowledge and some attitudes not in line with recommendations were noted regarding the introduction and continuation of breastfeeding. The involvement of health authorities and medical and paramedical personnel could improve knowledge and practice.

Conhecimentos, atitudes e práticas sobre aleitamento materno entre puérperas em alojamento conjunto

“…Menos da metade sabia sobre os benefícios imunológicos e do vínculo biopsicossocial mãe/bebê (17) . Já no Quênia, investigação com 400 mães mostrou que a maioria afirmou que o leite materno é suficiente até os seis primeiros meses de vida e que apenas após se deve introduzir alimentos complementares (18) . Esses dados estão em conformidade com os resultados supracitados neste estudo.…”