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Breast-feeding and feeding practices of infants in a developing country: a national survey in Lebanon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Malek Batal ,
Choghik Boulghourjian ,
Ahmad Abdallah  and
Rima Afifi
Malek Batal*
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon
Choghik Boulghourjian
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon
Ahmad Abdallah
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon
Rima Afifi
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon
*
*Corresponding author: Email malek.batal@aub.edu.lb
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Abstract

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Objective

Breast-feeding (BF) provides the ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. The prevalence of BF in Lebanon shows mixed results. The present study was the first large-scale, extensive survey on BF parameters in Lebanon that aimed to explore demographic, socio-economic and other fundamental issues associated with the initiation and duration of BF by Lebanese mothers.

Design

The survey was cross-sectional in design and administered over 10 months.

Setting

Information on all variables was collected from mothers at health centres.

Subjects

Two-stage sampling was conducted to select participants. A total of 1000 participants were randomly selected. A consent form was provided to each participant. Data were collected from 830 of these.

Results

Almost all mothers were Lebanese, married and had given birth in a hospital. About a third stated that breast milk was the first food introduced after birth. Although 55.9% started breast-feeding their newborns within a few hours after birth, and 18.3% within half an hour, 21.2% replied that they initiated BF a few days after birth. Only 4.6% of the mothers replied that they never breast-fed their infant. Timing of initiation of BF was associated with the type of delivery (vaginal/Caesarean section) and hospital-related factors (rooming-in, night feedings and frequency of mother–infant interaction). Of the mothers who breast-fed exclusively beyond 6 months, 86.7% had initiated BF a few hours following delivery, while only 13.3% had initiated BF a few days later. Compared with the exceptionally high proportion of BF initiation, exclusivity of BF was low, dropping to 52.4% at 1 month. Exclusivity of BF was also associated with place of residence (urban/rural) and negatively associated with educational level of the mother. Duration of BF was inversely associated with the use of pain killers during delivery and maternal education. Rural mothers and those who practised exclusive BF maintained BF for a longer duration.

Conclusion

Initiation rates of BF are very high in Lebanon but rates of exclusive BF are low and duration of BF is short. Future research targeting the factors associated with BF, with particular emphasis on exclusivity, is needed. For the 95.4% of mothers who initiated BF, an ecological perspective on intervention aimed at women and their social support system is required to improve duration and exclusivity.

Keywords

Breast-feedingInitiationDurationNewbornsInfantsFeedingLebanon
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , May 2006 , pp. 313 - 319
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

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