STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING (EBF) AMONG MOTHERS IN AMUKOKO, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assessed mothers’ knowledge on, the practice of, and factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding in the initial 6 months after birth. A descriptive cross-sectional research design and purposive sampling technique were used to pick 323 mothers that attended immunization at Community Health Project Amukoko and who had at least 1 child and a well-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from them. Data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution, Chi-square test, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to test significant differences in the knowledge of EBF and demographic characteristics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results show that the mean age of the mothers is 29.47 (18 - 47 years). The rate of exclusive breastfeeding was found to be 72.1% and the knowledge of mothers on exclusive breastfeeding was very good (81.81%). The mode of delivery, introduction of prelacteal feed and introduction of water before breastfeeding have significant related to the practice of exclusive breastfeeding (p < 0.05). The study concluded that most of the mothers had good knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding rate at six months, mode of delivery, offering of prelacteal feed and introducing of water before breastfeeding is significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding. The study recommended healthier talks and support from health care workers on breastfeeding for mothers and the use of expressed breast milk promoted among mothers.