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Mothers' and Grandmothers' misconceptions and socio-cultural factors as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding: A qualitative study involving Health Workers in two rural districts of Ghana.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Education on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practices is usually given in the form of health talks by health workers (HWs). The need for HWs to be well-informed about cultural practices and misconceptions that act as barriers to EBF has been documented in literature. This information can guide HWs in developing interventions such as health talks which are culturally sensitive. However, this has not been explored from the perspectives of HWs in Ghana. In this paper, we report mothers' and grandmothers' misconceptions and cultural practices that are barriers to EBF in two rural districts in Ghana from the perspectives of Community Health Workers and Community Health Volunteers. METHODS:We used qualitative data collected in the Kwahu Afram Plains South and North Districts of Ghana through nine focus group discussions (FGDs) among HWs and followed the data saturation principle. All FGDs were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and translated from local dialects to English. The emerging themes were used in writing a narrative account, guided by the principles of the thematic analysis. RESULTS:Our main findings included mothers' and grandmothers' perceptions that HWs themselves do not practice EBF. Mothers had the perception that grandmothers did not practice EBF but their children grew well, and gestures of babies suggested their readiness to start eating. Misconceptions revealed included beliefs that breastmilk is watery in nature and does not satisfy infants. Another misconception was that babies gain weight faster when not exclusively breastfed but fed on infant formulas. A custom of giving corn flour mixed with water or light porridge during the first few days after birth to welcome newborns was also reported. CONCLUSIONS:The reports of the HWs revealed that several socio-cultural factors and misconceptions of mothers and grandmothers negatively influence EBF practices of mothers. Findings from this study highlight the need for HWs to provide culturally appropriate counselling services on breastfeeding not only to mothers but also to grandmothers and fathers in order to promote EBF and reap its benefits.

SUBMITTER: Nsiah-Asamoah C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7498105 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mothers' and Grandmothers' misconceptions and socio-cultural factors as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding: A qualitative study involving Health Workers in two rural districts of Ghana.

Nsiah-Asamoah Christiana C Doku David Teye DT Agblorti Samuel S

PloS one 20200917 9

<h4>Background</h4>Education on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practices is usually given in the form of health talks by health workers (HWs). The need for HWs to be well-informed about cultural practices and misconceptions that act as barriers to EBF has been documented in literature. This information can guide HWs in developing interventions such as health talks which are culturally sensitive. However, this has not been explored from the perspectives of HWs in Ghana. In this paper, we report mo ...[more]

PMID: 32941500

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Project description:BackgroundDespite the health and economic benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, there is evidence of a decline globally and in Ghana. Previous studies addressing this problem are mostly quantitative with only a few of such studies using qualitative or mixed methods to examine the predictors, benefits, ways of improving and managing exclusive breastfeeding, and the challenges associated with exclusive breastfeeding from the perspective of exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding mothers, and health workers. This study employs the health belief model to examine the experiences of mothers and health workers regarding exclusive breastfeeding to fill this gap in the literature.MethodsA cross-sectional qualitative study involving in-depth interviews was conducted among health workers and mothers attending child welfare clinic at two polyclinics in Madina, Accra-Ghana in 2019. Purposive sampling was used to select health facilities and participants for the study. Twenty participants comprising ten exclusive breastfeeding mothers, six non-exclusive breastfeeding mothers and four health workers were interviewed for the study. The data were analyzed based on emerging themes from inductive and deductive coding.ResultsThe decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding was based on mothers' work, advertisement on exclusive breastfeeding and education on breastfeeding provided by health workers. Insufficient flow of breast milk, pressure from family and friends, and insufficient breast milk for infants were among the reasons for discontinuing exclusive breastfeeding. The factors that help improve exclusive breastfeeding include eating healthy food and breastfeeding on demand, while counselling and monitoring, restricting advertisement on infant formula and granting maternity leave for breastfeeding mothers were identified as factors that can facilitate the practice of exclusive breastfeeding.ConclusionDifferent levels of experience affect and shape exclusive breastfeeding practice in Ghana. The decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding, as well as the challenges and strategies employed in managing exclusive breastfeeding, emanates from mothers' personal experiences and interactions with institutional factors. In view of this, there should be counselling on the management of challenges associated with exclusive breastfeeding and provision of accurate information on exclusive breastfeeding to enable mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding.

Project description:IntroductionDespite widespread advocacy for exclusive breastfeeding, and the associated benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for both infants and mothers, there is low prevalence in both developed and developing countries. Additionally, although several studies have been conducted on exclusive breastfeeding, very few of such studies have linked birth weight and birth size to exclusive breastfeeding. This study seeks to examine the influence of birth weight and birth size on exclusive breastfeeding.MethodologyThis study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed method approach using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative approach used cross-sectional data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) and the qualitative data from interviews with exclusive breastfeeding mothers from two health facilities in La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly in Accra, Ghana. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine whether infants birth weight and mothers perceived birth size are associated with the practice of exclusive breastfeeding while the qualitative data provided further insights into the findings from the quantitative analysis.ResultsMajority (85%) of the infants in the study were of normal birth weight while 52% of the infants were perceived by their mothers to be of small birth size. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was found to be 54.8%. The birth weight of infants and mothers' perceived birth size were found to be significant predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. Infants of normal birth weight (OR = 7.532; 95% CI: 2.171-26.132) and high birth weight (OR = 6.654; 95% CI: 1.477-29.978) were more likely to be exclusively breastfed compared to low-birth-weight infants. Similarly, infants perceived to be of normal birth size were more likely (OR = 1.908; 95% CI: 1.058-3.441) to be exclusively breastfed compared to infants perceived to be of small birth size. The findings from the qualitative analysis show that birth weight rather than birth size influence mothers' decision to practice exclusive breastfeeding.ConclusionThe findings of the study underscore the relevance of infant birth weight and perceived birth size in the practice of exclusive breastfeeding and highlights the need to incorporate both actual measurement of birth weight, and perception of infant's birth size into policies targeted at exclusive breastfeeding. There is the need for deliberate targeted efforts at women who deliver infants of low birth weight and women who perceive their children to be of small birth size to practice exclusive breastfeeding.

Project description:Introduction:Practicing exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in an infant's first six months of life is recommended by the World Health Organization because of its proven effectiveness as a method to support the infant's short- and long-term physical and cognitive development. However, many countries, including Cambodia, face contextually driven challenges in meeting this optimum standard of breastfeeding. The recent declining EBF rate in Cambodia is a concerning indicator of the impact of these challenges. Methods:We used existing data from the 2014 Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS) to analyze 717 Cambodian mother-infant pairs. CDHS 2014 used a two-stage stratified cluster sampling approach to select samples. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess determinants of EBF, taking into account the sampling weight in the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated, and significance level was considered at p value < 0.05. Results:Our findings indicate that among mothers with infants under six months, EBF was more likely if they resided rurally (AOR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.23-4.23) and if they delivered at a public hospital (AOR = 2.64; 95% CI 1.28-5.47). On the other hand, mothers of middle wealth index practiced EBF less than mothers of low wealth index (AOR = 0.58; 95% CI 0.34-0.99). And as expected, our analysis confirmed that the older the infants grew, the less likely they were to be exclusively breastfed than those younger than one month old (2-3 months: AOR = 0.49; 95% CI 0.26-0.92; 4-5 months: AOR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.15-0.43). Conclusion:The findings emphasize the need to address these determinants adequately by appropriate interventions to halt the declining trend of EBF practice. We recommend a multifaceted approach to improve EBF rates in Cambodia. Advocacy around EBF at public hospitals should continue, and private hospital staff should receive training to provide EBF counselling and support to mothers.

Project description:BackgroundIt is estimated that sub-optimal feeding, especially non-exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6months of life, results in 1.4million deaths and 10% of disease burden in children younger than five years. Worldwide, it is estimated that only 34.8% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6months of life, the majority receiving some other food or fluid in the early months. Besides, the Ethiopian demographic and health survey (2016) stated that the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding in Tigray region was 3.8 months which is shorter than the recommended duration. The main purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among HIV positive mothers in public hospitals of Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia.MethodsA facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 9 to October 11, 2016, in public hospitals of Tigray region. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire using face-to-face interview among 304 eligible women through a systematic sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Binary and multiple variable logistic regressions ("odds ratio") analyses were calculated with 95% CI and p value ≤ 0.05 as significance were used.ResultTwo hundred seventy (88.8%) of mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Infant feeding counseling during antenatal care of last pregnancy [AOR = 6.9, 95% CI; 2.63, 17.99], knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding (AOR = 5.5, 95% CI; (2.12, 14.02] and attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding [AOR = 7.9; 95% CI; 2.96, 21.21] had significant association with exclusive breastfeeding practice.ConclusionsA high proportion of mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Infant feeding counseling, knowledge and attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding practice were the predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among HIV positive mothers. Strengthening infant feeding counseling during antenatal care and improving mothers' knowledge and attitude on exclusive breastfeeding is essential.

Dataset Information

Mothers' and Grandmothers' misconceptions and socio-cultural factors as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding: A qualitative study involving Health Workers in two rural districts of Ghana.

Publications

Mothers' and Grandmothers' misconceptions and socio-cultural factors as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding: A qualitative study involving Health Workers in two rural districts of Ghana.

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