Cherop C E, Keverenge-Ettyang A G, Mbagaya G M
School of Public Health, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
East Afr J Public Health. 2009 Apr;6(1):69-72. doi: 10.4314/eajph.v6i1.45752.
Breast milk is the best source of nutrients for young infants. It promotes optimal growth and development. WHO recommends Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life as the best way of feeding an infant. EBF Prevalence in Kenya is low, there is need to find out barriers to EBF, hence the study. The objective of the study was to establish barriers to EBF to 6 months among infants aged 0-6 months.
The study was cross-sectional involving 384 mother-infant pair visiting Huruma and West, maternal and child health (MCH) clinics. This study was done in the urban setting of Eldoret. Simple random sampling technique was used to get the desired sample size of 384. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 12.0.
Maternal age was categorized into mothers with; <24 years (n=207, 53.9%), 25-29 years (n=116, 30.2%), 30-35 years (n=35, 9.1%) and >35 years (n=24, 6.3%). Over half (n=198, 51.5%) of infants were female and 48.5%( n= 186) were male. The median and mean age of infants in the study was 2.3 and 2 months respectively. Reported barriers to exclusive breastfeeding included; breast milk unsatisfying to the infant (n=157, 64.4%), insufficient breast milk production (n=35, 14.3%), to improve nutritional status of the infant (n=18, 7.4%), for the infant learns to feed on other foods (n=19, 7.7%) and in order for mothers to resume work (n=15, 6.1%).
Barriers to EBF in the study may be attributed to inadequate breastfeeding knowledge among the mothers. This study is important in devising strategies that will increase EBF in the community.
母乳是婴幼儿最佳的营养来源。它能促进最佳的生长发育。世界卫生组织建议在婴儿出生后的前6个月进行纯母乳喂养（EBF），这是喂养婴儿的最佳方式。肯尼亚的纯母乳喂养普及率较低，有必要找出纯母乳喂养的障碍，因此开展了这项研究。该研究的目的是确定0至6个月大婴儿纯母乳喂养至6个月的障碍。
该研究为横断面研究，涉及384对母婴，他们前往胡鲁马和西部的母婴健康（MCH）诊所就诊。这项研究在埃尔多雷特的城市环境中进行。采用简单随机抽样技术获得所需的384个样本量。使用问卷调查收集数据。数据使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）12.0版进行分析。
产妇年龄分为以下几组：<24岁（n = 207，53.9%）、25 - 29岁（n = 116，30.2%）、30 - 35岁（n = 35，9.1%）和>35岁（n = 24，6.3%）。超过一半（n = 198，51.5%）的婴儿为女性，48.5%（n = 186）为男性。研究中婴儿的年龄中位数和平均数分别为2.3个月和2个月。报告的纯母乳喂养障碍包括：母乳不能满足婴儿需求（n = 157，64.4%）、母乳分泌不足（n = 哪有35，14.3%）、为改善婴儿营养状况（n = 18，7.4%）、让婴儿学会食用其他食物（n = 19，7.7%）以及为使母亲能够恢复工作（n = 15，6.1%）。
该研究中纯母乳喂养的障碍可能归因于母亲们母乳喂养知识不足。这项研究对于制定能提高社区纯母乳喂养率的策略具有重要意义。
