Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Tripoli, Lebanon.
Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020, Lebanon.
Int Breastfeed J. 2022 May 14;17(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s13006-022-00480-x.
Adequate breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices are paramount in fragile situations where access to food and healthcare is limited. The objectives of this study are to examine breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices among Syrian refugees and their Lebanese host communities and to investigate the correlates of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) at four and 6 months in these communities.
Using two-stage stratified sampling, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in Akkar, a region with a high density of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, between April and November 2019. In one-to-one interviews, mothers of children (6-24 months) completed a questionnaire including specific questions about breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, a 24-h recall, and socio-demographic characteristics for 189 Syrian refugees and 182 Lebanese host community households. Descriptive statistics, simple and multiple logistic regression were used in data analysis.
Among breastfeeding practices, ever-breastfeeding was most prevalent (90%), followed by early initiation of breastfeeding (64.8%), EBF at four (49.6%), and six (36%) months. One in four children was introduced to solids before 6 months of age, and less than a third was given iron-fortified baby cereals as the first complementary foods. Only 24.4% and 9.2% of children met the minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet requirements, respectively. Compared to children of the Lebanese host communities, those of Syrian refugees had higher rates of EBF at four and 6 months as well as continued breastfeeding at 1 year, whereas only 17.9% of Syrian refugees' children met minimum dietary diversity compared to 30.9% of Lebanese host community children (p < 0.05). Among refugees, education and spouse's employment status were associated with higher odds of EBF at 4 months. As for Lebanese households, female children were less likely to be exclusively breastfed at 4 months and 6 months, while a natural delivery increased the odds of EBF at 6 months.
Breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices are suboptimal among children of Syrian refugees and their Lebanese host communities in North Lebanon. There is a need for intervention strategies to tackle gaps in services and assistance delivery programs to enhance infant and young child feeding practices among both communities.
在食物和医疗保健获取有限的脆弱环境中，充分的母乳喂养和补充喂养实践至关重要。本研究的目的是检验叙利亚难民及其黎巴嫩收容社区的母乳喂养和补充喂养实践，并调查这些社区中 4 个月和 6 个月时纯母乳喂养（EBF）的相关因素。
使用两阶段分层抽样，于 2019 年 4 月至 11 月在黎巴嫩阿卡地区（该地区有大量叙利亚难民）进行了一项横断面调查。在一对一访谈中，6-24 个月大的儿童的母亲完成了一份问卷，其中包括关于母乳喂养和补充喂养实践的具体问题、24 小时回忆以及社会人口统计学特征，共涉及 189 名叙利亚难民和 182 名黎巴嫩收容社区家庭。数据分析采用描述性统计、简单和多因素逻辑回归。
在母乳喂养实践方面，最常见的是曾进行母乳喂养（90%），其次是早期开始母乳喂养（64.8%）、4 个月时 EBF（49.6%）和 6 个月时 EBF（36%）。四分之一的儿童在 6 个月龄之前开始食用固体食物，不到三分之一的儿童食用铁强化婴儿麦片作为第一种补充食物。只有 24.4%和 9.2%的儿童分别达到最低饮食多样性和最低可接受饮食的要求。与黎巴嫩收容社区的儿童相比，叙利亚难民的 4 个月和 6 个月 EBF 率以及 1 岁时持续母乳喂养率更高，而只有 17.9%的叙利亚难民儿童达到最低饮食多样性，而黎巴嫩收容社区儿童为 30.9%（p<0.05）。在难民中，教育和配偶的就业状况与 4 个月时 EBF 的更高几率相关。对于黎巴嫩家庭，女婴在 4 个月和 6 个月时 EBF 的可能性较小，而自然分娩则增加了 6 个月时 EBF 的几率。
在黎巴嫩北部的叙利亚难民及其黎巴嫩收容社区的儿童中，母乳喂养和补充喂养实践并不理想。需要采取干预策略来解决服务和援助提供计划中的差距，以加强两个社区的婴幼儿喂养实践。
