KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING AMONG NURSING MOTHERS IN BOMADI, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA
Breastfeeding has many health benefits for the mother and infant. This study assessed the knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among nursing mothers in Bomadi Local Government Area (LGA), Delta State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Three hundred and eighty-four nursing mothers attending immunisation clinics at selected primary health care centres in Bomadi LGA, Delta State were randomly selected. A pretested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect respondents’ data on socio-demographic characteristics and breastfeeding practices. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 27.0. A chi-square test was used to test the association between EBF knowledge and practice. Data were considered significant at p < 0.05. The mean ages of the mothers and children were 31.0 ± 6.8 years and 6.0 ± 4.5 months, respectively. The results show that 76.6% of respondents had good knowledge of EBF and 56.5% had good practice regarding EBF. A positive association was found between EBF knowledge and EBF practice. These findings show that most of the nursing mothers had good knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding and practiced it. However, to sustain this knowledge and its practice, more nutrition education and community sensitisation are required.
Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, knowledge, practice, nutrition education
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