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  • Title: Opinions about breastfeeding amongst middle-income African and Indian women in Nairobi.
    Author: Lakhani S, Jansen AA.
    Journal: East Afr Med J; 1984 Apr; 61(4):266-71. PubMed ID: 6489227.
    Abstract:
    Attitudes troward breastfeeding were assessed among 100 African and Asian women who attended the prenatal clinic of a private hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. The women were subjects in an ongoing nutrition study, but the present study was based only on their responses to 11 questions on breastfeeding. The investigators sought to identify factors which either encouraged or discouraged breastfeeding. The results were expected to be of use in developing strategies to reverse the current trend toward bottle feeding. The women delivered at the hospital and were interviewed shortly after discharge, either in their home or during a postpartum clinic visit. The subjects ranged in age from 16-35 years, and the majority were primaparous. Both the Asian and African women had similar educational backgrounds. Most of the Asian women were housewives, and most of the Africa women were employed as clerks or secretaries. At the time of discharge from the hospital, only 44% of the infants of the African women and only 13% of the infants born to the Asian women were being exclusively breastfed. 9% of the African mothers and 18% of rthe Asian women did not breastfeed at all. The remaining infants either received bottle feeds after each breastfeed or were given bottle feeds in place of breastfeeds at least once a day. Hospital routines unintentionally promoted bottle feeding, made it difficult for the women to establish breastfeeding, and may have given the women the impression that breastfeeding should be supplemented with bottle feeding. The women were separated from their infants, breastfeeding times were rigidly scheduled, the infants were bottle fed prior to the 1st breastfeeding, supplemental feeds were provided, and bottles were presented to the women each time their infants were brought to them. The women were poorly informed about the value of breastfeeding. Only 52% of the African women and 33% of the Asian women were aware that breast milk by itself provided infants with sufficient nutrition for the first 4-6 months. 40% of the African women and 64% of the Asian women agreed that breastfeeding was better for the infant but that it also entailed a sacrifice on the part of the part of the mother. Most of the Asian women said that breastfeeding required privacy even when performed at home. African women were less concerned about privacy. The findings suggest that 1) expectant mothers need to be provicded with more information about breastfeeding, 2) mothers need more assistance in establishing breastfeeding and encouragement to continue breastfeeding, and 3) hospital routine need to be modified to create an environment conducive to breastfeeding.
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