Knowledge and Attitude towards Exclusive Breast Feeding among Mothers Attending Antenatal Care (ANC) in Brikama District Hospital, Brikama, Gambia

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommend starting breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, exclusively breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months, and continuing for up to two years or beyond, in addition to adequate complementary foods. A structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data from 384 mothers attending antennal health care at Brikama District Hospital in Brikama, Gambia, from 1st June to 30th June.   The mean age (standard deviation (SD)) of the women was 26.69(±5.67) years and ranged from 16 to 49 years. Majority of the women were married (92.19 %) and from extended families (67.19 %).  The findings indicate that majority of participants knew about EBF (88.28%) from health workers (58.22%). Furthermore, most mothers preferred breastfeeding for up to two years of age (58.85%) and agreed that babies should be breastfed on demand (65.63%). The knowledge and attitude of mothers towards EBF was very high and positive. Overall, most respondents knew about (85.94%) and favored (69.79%) EBF.