Evaluation of the Traditional Practices of Breastfeeding, Complementary Feeding and Increasing Breast Milk in Mothers with 0-24 Month-Old Infants

Abstract

Introduction: To evaluate the traditional practices of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and increasing breast milk in mothers with 0-24 month-old infants. Material and methods: The study sample includes 215 mothers with 0-24 month-old infants. The mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and behaviors regarding breast milk, complementary feeding, and traditional practices for increasing breast milk were questioned. Results: 60.0% of the infants were exclusively breastfed in the first six months. There was a significant difference between the mothers’ educational levels and the frequency of breastfeeding (p<0.001). A significant difference was observed between the educational level of the mothers and the first complementary food given to the infants (p=0.046). The rate of mothers who breastfed less frequently after introducing to complementary feeding was significantly lower in the group with a low level of education compared to the group with a high level of education (p=0.040). The rate of receiving training from a healthcare professional specialized in breastfeeding before and after birth was significantly higher in the group with a high level of education (41.1% and 52.8%, respectively) than the group with a low level of education (17.3% and 15.4%) (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). The rate of those who knew that breast milk alone was sufficient for feeding the infant in the first six months was significantly higher in the group with a high level of education (96.3%) than the group with a low level of education (86.5%) (p=0.017). Percentage of mothers with a high educational level who consume herbal tea (17.8%) is higher than those with low educational level (4.0%). There is a statistically significant difference between the educational status of mothers and traditional practices to increase breast milk (p<0.001). Conclusions: Mothers had imperfect knowledge regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding. They should be educated by healthcare professionals to eliminate deficiencies and correct their current practices.

Keywords

• Breast Feeding
• Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
• Knowledge
• Feeding Behavior
• exclusively breastfeeding
• breastfeeding knowledge