Evaluating the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Nursing Mothers towards Exclusive Breastfeeding in Tano North District (original) (raw)

2020, International Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Research

Contribution/Originality: This study contributes in the existing literature by evaluating the knowledge, attitude and practices of exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers in Tano North District of Ghana. 1. INTRODUCTION Literature is replete with information on the benefits of breastfeeding to mothers and their infants [1-3]. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as the use of breast milk as the only source of food, to the total exclusive of other supplementary foods such as formulas, water, juices or teas [4, 5]. Studies have shown that breastfeeding is superior to infant formula feeding because of its protective properties against illness, in addition to its nutritional advantages [6-8]. Considering the extensive benefits of breastfeeding, the World Health Organization and the American Dietetic Association recommend exclusive breastfeeding of infants for the first six months and continued breastfeeding with complementary foods up to 12 months [9] mainly due to their weak immune system and their propensity to attract diseases through food poisoning. Previous research has shown that maternal attitudes toward breastfeeding, perceptions of infant health and benefits of breastfeeding influence the decision of nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies [1-3]. Many demographic factors such as maternal age, marital status, education, race, socioeconomic status, culture factors, parity, number of children at home, and social support have been shown to potentially influence a woman's decision to breastfeed [7, 10-12].