Feeding and nutritional status among infants in Basrah City, Iraq: a cross-sectional study.

Feeding histories were collected on 772 randomly selected infants visiting Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Basrah city between October 1983 and May 1984. Weight-for-age data on 557 of these infants (72 per cent) were also obtained. Over 90 per cent of infants were breast-fed initially, and prevalence rates of breast-feeding during infancy were higher among infants of low socioeconomic status (LSES) than those of high socioeconomic status (HSES). Exclusive breast-feeding declined sharply during the first 6 months of life. Supplementation of breast-feeding with bottle-feeding was common, especially among HSES infants. Methods of cleaning infant feeding bottles were more hygienic among HSES than LSES families. Comparison of the weight-for-age of infants on different feeding modes in the 2-7 months age group showed that exclusively breast-fed infants were slightly, but significantly, heavier than partially breast-fed or non-breast-fed infants. Mild faltering of weight-for-age with age was observed, relative to the NCHS median reference weight.