Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box 1883, Tamale, Ghana.
Nutrition Theme, MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, P.O. Box 273, Banjul, The Gambia.
Int Breastfeed J. 2020 Nov 16;15(1):96. doi: 10.1186/s13006-020-00339-z.
Inadequate breastmilk production is one of the key factors associated with suboptimal breastfeeding. In most local African homes, special herbs and some food items are commonly used to promote breastmilk production (known as lactogogue/galactogogue). We describe the use and characterize the herbs and food items used to promote breastmilk production in two regions of Ghana.
We conducted a cross-sectional study in 2018 involving 402 lactating mothers. The range of foods used as lactogogues was obtained from 20 participants through focus group discussions. Quantitative data on demographics, lactogogue use and feeding practices were obtained through questionnaire administration.
The mean age of women was 29.2 years and children were 10 months. Breastmilk production problems were low (22.4%) and the majority of lactating mothers felt they had adequate breastmilk (70.4%) but awareness about lactogogues was widespread in both regions (88.8%) and highest in the Brong-Ahafo region (90.0%). Information about lactogogues was mainly from grandparents (24.6%), parents (31.6), health facilities (16.5%) and friends (12.8%), while the media had little influence (< 1%). The majority of the mothers used lactogogues to enhance breastmilk production (67.7%), and a quarter of them used lactogogues because of their tradition (25.2%). Prevalence of lactogogue use was 83.8%, lactogogues were prepared separate from household meals (59.4%) and consumed one to three times a day (89.6%). Users felt the effectiveness within 24 h of use (98.5%). The most common lactogogues included; groundnut/peanut soup prepared with Bra leaves (Hibiscus sabdariffa), hot black tea, Werewere/Agushi (Citrulus colocynthis) prepared with Bra leaves, and Abemudro (a polyherbal formulation). Only 13.2% of lactating mothers also used lactogogues during pregnancy.
Special foods and selected herbs are widely used to enhance breastmilk production in Ghana and constitute an important part of the diet of lactating mothers. These results could contribute to understanding breastfeeding behaviours and stimulate further research into evaluating the safety and scientific efficacy of these products in Ghana.
母乳不足是导致母乳喂养效果不佳的关键因素之一。在大多数非洲本地家庭中，通常会使用特殊的草药和一些食物来促进乳汁分泌（被称为催乳/下乳）。我们描述了在加纳的两个地区用于促进乳汁分泌的草药和食物的使用情况并对其进行了特征分析。
我们于 2018 年进行了一项横断面研究，共纳入 402 名哺乳期母亲。通过 20 名参与者的焦点小组讨论获得了用作催乳剂的食物范围。通过问卷调查获得了人口统计学、催乳剂使用和喂养实践的定量数据。
参与者的平均年龄为 29.2 岁，孩子为 10 个月。母乳不足的问题发生率较低（22.4%），大多数哺乳期母亲认为自己的母乳充足（70.4%），但两个地区对催乳剂的认识都很广泛（88.8%），其中布瑞洪阿哈福地区的认识度最高（90.0%）。关于催乳剂的信息主要来自于（24.6%）祖母/祖父、（31.6%）父母、（16.5%）医疗机构和（12.8%）朋友，而媒体的影响较小（<1%）。大多数母亲使用催乳剂来增加乳汁分泌（67.7%），四分之一的母亲因为传统而使用催乳剂（25.2%）。催乳剂的使用率为 83.8%，其中催乳剂是与家庭餐分开准备的（59.4%），并且每天食用一到三次（89.6%）。使用者在使用后 24 小时内就感觉到了效果（98.5%）。最常见的催乳剂包括：用 Bra 叶制成的花生/花生汤（Hibiscus sabdariffa）、热红茶、用 Bra 叶制成的 Werewere/Agushi（Citrulus colocynthis）和 Abemudro（一种多草药配方）。只有 13.2%的哺乳期母亲在怀孕期间也使用催乳剂。
在加纳，特殊食品和特定草药被广泛用于促进乳汁分泌，这构成了哺乳期母亲饮食的重要组成部分。这些结果有助于了解母乳喂养行为，并激发对这些产品在加纳的安全性和科学功效进行进一步研究。
