Cultural Practices on Infant Feeding and Nursing-Mothers’ Adoption of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice in Imo State Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of cultural practices on infant feeding on adoption of exclusive breastfeeding practice by nursing-mothers in selected communities in Imo State Nigeria. A descriptive study design was employed to elicit information from 340 nursing-mothers from three selected communities in the state. The target population of the study was all the 405 nursing-mothers with children aged twenty-four months and below in the selected communities. Instruments for data collection were structured questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and the reliability of the instrument was established (r=0.8). Ten nursing mothers from each of the communities participated in FGD. Results of the study revealed that exclusive breastfeeding practice was 13.5% in the target communities. First fluid given to infant after birth (P=0.001), Timing of first fluid given to infant (P-value=0.04), duration of breastfeeding before commencing weaning (P<0.0001) and most popular practice of infant feeding in the first six months of life (P=0.001) were statistically significant, while beliefs about colostrum (P=0.067) and culture being opposed to exclusive breastfeeding (P=0.34) were not statistically significant. The study concluded that breastfeeding is an embodied practice that is strongly rooted in culture which could contribute to the slow progress recorded in the adoption of exclusive breastfeeding. There is need to expand the current strategies employed in the promotion of exclusive-breastfeeding to include cultural perspective.