Attitude to and cultural determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among childbearing mothers in Nsukka urban area of Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding has been found to be effective in reducing infant mortality and morbidity in the contemporary world. This study explored attitude and cultural determinants of EBF among childbearing mothers in Nsukka urban.Data Source and Method: Data from 592 childbearing mothers were collected and analyzed using questionnaire, (SPSS), Chi-square and multiple linear regression.Results: Attitude such as infant’s inability to eat other food after EBF and that male infant should not be exclusively breastfed as well as cultural determinants such as the use of coconut water to loosen intestine and after-birth care were significant with EBF practice. The infant’s inability to eat other food after EBF and after-birth care were predictors of EBF on binary logistic regression.Conclusion: Findings suggest the need for government, healthcare and social workers to raise awareness on the risks of complementary feeding and the importance of EBF for the reduction of infant mortality and the achievement of related sustainable goals.