Weaning, Complementary Feeding, and Maternal Decision Making in a Rural East African Pastoral Population
- 1 August 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Human Lactation
- Vol. 17 (3), 233-244
- https://doi.org/10.1177/089033440101700307
Abstract
A small-scale, prospective study of breastfeeding and weaning practices was conducted in a seminomadic pastoral population in northern Tanzania (Datoga of Mbulu District, Arusha Region). Focus group participants suggested that weaning patterns are strongly influenced by seasonal factors, and individual mothers often stated an intention to introduce adult staple foods and terminate breastfeeding at the end of the long rains. However, a combination of maternal self-perception, assessment of infant well-being, and indicators of household food supply influenced the actual progression of weaning for individual children. The results suggest that interventions to promote exclusive breastfeeding and improve complementary feeding practices in rural East African pastoral populations could build on maternal attention to infantcentered cues and address household-level constraints on caregivers making decisions about young child feeding.This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
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