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Exclusive Breastfeeding up to Six Months is Very Rare in Tanzania: A Cohort Study of Infant Feeding Practices in Kilimanjaro Area

Received: 09 February 2015    Accepted: 27 February 2015    Published: 10 March 2015
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Abstract

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended the first six months after birth as one of cost effective interventions in saving children's lives. Objective: To determine the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and describe the common foods introduced to infants before 6months. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: Poor community of Moshi urban, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Subjects: Women in their third trimester and were followed to 18 months after delivery. A questionnaire was used to collect information on maternal socio-demographics, delivery status and infant feeding practices at each visit. Maternal HIV status was checked at enrolment. Results: Out of 2231 women, with a live birth, 70% (1535) came back at least once after delivery and information on infant feeding were collected. 94% of the women were living below the poverty line. The prevalence of EBF at 1, 3 and up to 6 months was 48.8%, 22.0% and 0.2% respectively. Two percent of the infants were given semi-solids at 1 month, 35% at 3 months and 95% at 5 months. Water and cow’s milk were the most common liquids introduced to infants by one month, while porridge, cow’s milk and mtori were commonly introduced at 3 months. Conclusions: EBF up to 6 month is very rare in Kilimanjaro. There is an urgent need to strengthen community and health facility based EBF interventions so as to reach the 90% recommended coverage by the WHO. This will help in improving child survival and in attaining the Millennium Development Goal 4.

DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24
Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 2, March 2015)
Page(s) 251-258
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Exclusive Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding, Poverty, Prevalence, Tanzania

References
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Author Information
  • Better Health for African Mother and Child, Moshi, Tanzania

  • Better Health for African Mother and Child, Moshi, Tanzania

  • Better Health for African Mother and Child, Moshi, Tanzania; Division of Women and Children, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet and University of Oslo Norway

  • Community Health Department, KCMC Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMU Co), Moshi, Tanzania

  • Division of Women and Children, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet and University of Oslo Norway

  • Better Health for African Mother and Child, Moshi, Tanzania; Community Health Department, KCMC Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMU Co), Moshi, Tanzania

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    Tamara H. Hussein, Melina Mgongo, Jacqueline G. Uriyo, Damian J. Damian, Babill Stray-Pedersen, et al. (2015). Exclusive Breastfeeding up to Six Months is Very Rare in Tanzania: A Cohort Study of Infant Feeding Practices in Kilimanjaro Area. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(2), 251-258. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24

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    ACS Style

    Tamara H. Hussein; Melina Mgongo; Jacqueline G. Uriyo; Damian J. Damian; Babill Stray-Pedersen, et al. Exclusive Breastfeeding up to Six Months is Very Rare in Tanzania: A Cohort Study of Infant Feeding Practices in Kilimanjaro Area. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(2), 251-258. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24

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    AMA Style

    Tamara H. Hussein, Melina Mgongo, Jacqueline G. Uriyo, Damian J. Damian, Babill Stray-Pedersen, et al. Exclusive Breastfeeding up to Six Months is Very Rare in Tanzania: A Cohort Study of Infant Feeding Practices in Kilimanjaro Area. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(2):251-258. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24,
      author = {Tamara H. Hussein and Melina Mgongo and Jacqueline G. Uriyo and Damian J. Damian and Babill Stray-Pedersen and Sia E. Msuya},
      title = {Exclusive Breastfeeding up to Six Months is Very Rare in Tanzania: A Cohort Study of Infant Feeding Practices in Kilimanjaro Area},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {3},
      number = {2},
      pages = {251-258},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20150302.24},
      abstract = {Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended the first six months after birth as one of cost effective interventions in saving children's lives. Objective: To determine the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and describe the common foods introduced to infants before 6months. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: Poor community of Moshi urban, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Subjects: Women in their third trimester and were followed to 18 months after delivery. A questionnaire was used to collect information on maternal socio-demographics, delivery status and infant feeding practices at each visit. Maternal HIV status was checked at enrolment. Results: Out of 2231 women, with a live birth, 70% (1535) came back at least once after delivery and information on infant feeding were collected.  94% of the women were living below the poverty line. The prevalence of EBF at 1, 3 and up to 6 months was 48.8%, 22.0% and 0.2% respectively. Two percent of the infants were given semi-solids at 1 month, 35% at 3 months and 95% at 5 months. Water and cow’s milk were the most common liquids introduced to infants by one month, while porridge, cow’s milk and mtori were commonly introduced at 3 months. Conclusions: EBF up to 6 month is very rare in Kilimanjaro. There is an urgent need to strengthen community and health facility based EBF interventions so as to reach the 90% recommended coverage by the WHO. This will help in improving child survival and in attaining the Millennium Development Goal 4.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Exclusive Breastfeeding up to Six Months is Very Rare in Tanzania: A Cohort Study of Infant Feeding Practices in Kilimanjaro Area
    AU  - Tamara H. Hussein
    AU  - Melina Mgongo
    AU  - Jacqueline G. Uriyo
    AU  - Damian J. Damian
    AU  - Babill Stray-Pedersen
    AU  - Sia E. Msuya
    Y1  - 2015/03/10
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24
    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24
    T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
    SP  - 251
    EP  - 258
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7950
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150302.24
    AB  - Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended the first six months after birth as one of cost effective interventions in saving children's lives. Objective: To determine the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and describe the common foods introduced to infants before 6months. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: Poor community of Moshi urban, Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Subjects: Women in their third trimester and were followed to 18 months after delivery. A questionnaire was used to collect information on maternal socio-demographics, delivery status and infant feeding practices at each visit. Maternal HIV status was checked at enrolment. Results: Out of 2231 women, with a live birth, 70% (1535) came back at least once after delivery and information on infant feeding were collected.  94% of the women were living below the poverty line. The prevalence of EBF at 1, 3 and up to 6 months was 48.8%, 22.0% and 0.2% respectively. Two percent of the infants were given semi-solids at 1 month, 35% at 3 months and 95% at 5 months. Water and cow’s milk were the most common liquids introduced to infants by one month, while porridge, cow’s milk and mtori were commonly introduced at 3 months. Conclusions: EBF up to 6 month is very rare in Kilimanjaro. There is an urgent need to strengthen community and health facility based EBF interventions so as to reach the 90% recommended coverage by the WHO. This will help in improving child survival and in attaining the Millennium Development Goal 4.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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