Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Mothers Attending an Infant Welfare Clinic in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

There is much concerns that despite the “Innocenti Declaration” and all efforts to promote Exclusive Breastfeeding in Nigeria, the prevalence of malnutrition and infant mortality is high. The study determined the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of nursing mothers in Osogbo, Nigeria. The study design was cross sectional. A total of 328 nursing mothers attending infant welfare clinics were recruited from selected four health centres in Osogbo Local Government Area by convenience sampling method. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data on the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of respondents. Data were analyzed using Statistics Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 16. About 97.6% of the respondents were aware of EBF, but only 64.6% had adequate knowledge. Majority of the respondents (92.7%) learnt about EBF from health workers. Attitude to EBF was good as reported by 75.6% of respondents who practiced EBF on demand. About 73.8% of respondents practiced EBF. The respondents have good knowledge and attitude of EBF. The practice of EBF was equally good however less than one third used either water or herbs during EBF before six months.