Davies-Adetugbo A A
Department of Community Health, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria.
J Diarrhoeal Dis Res. 1996 Mar;14(1):5-11.
Breast feeding has been recognized as a child survival strategy, while breast feeding programmes have been increasingly implemented in many communities. This study assesses the effectiveness of a breast feeding education programme launched through the primary health care programme in the rural communities of Nigeria. Late trimester pregnant women were enrolled into the study and given a questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about breast feeding. Women in the study group (n = 126) received breast feeding counselling before and after delivery, while those in control group (n = 130) did not receive any counselling. Both groups were monitored after delivery and followed with the KAP questionnaire. The results of the study showed marked improvements in the intervention group for colostrum feeding (p = 0.0000). Moreover, 31.6% of the mothers in the intervention group practised timely initiation of breast feeding compared to 5.6% of the controls, and the prevalence of exclusive breast feeding at 4 months was 39.8% in the intervention group compared to 13.9% for the controls. Multivariate analysis showed that the intervention was a powerful and the only significant predictor of the increase in breast feeding behaviours (p = 0.0000), and that an early initiation of breast feeding is a strong predictor of exclusive breast feeding at 4 months of age. It is concluded that breast feeding promotion in rural communities is feasible and can lead to behavioural changes.
母乳喂养已被视为一种儿童生存策略，同时许多社区也越来越多地实施母乳喂养计划。本研究评估了通过尼日利亚农村社区初级卫生保健计划开展的母乳喂养教育计划的效果。孕晚期孕妇被纳入研究，并接受了一份关于母乳喂养知识、态度和行为（KAP）的问卷。研究组（n = 126）的妇女在分娩前后接受了母乳喂养咨询，而对照组（n = 130）的妇女没有接受任何咨询。两组在分娩后均受到监测，并随后再次填写KAP问卷。研究结果显示，干预组在初乳喂养方面有显著改善（p = 0.0000）。此外，干预组31.6%的母亲及时开始母乳喂养，而对照组为5.6%；干预组4个月时纯母乳喂养的比例为39.8%，而对照组为13.9%。多变量分析表明，干预是母乳喂养行为增加的有力且唯一显著预测因素（p = 0.0000），且早期开始母乳喂养是4个月时纯母乳喂养的有力预测因素。得出的结论是，在农村社区促进母乳喂养是可行的，并且可以导致行为改变。
