Maternal Factors Hindering Successful Breastfeeding in Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

We aimed to study the maternal factors that may hinder successful breastfeeding in a prospective cohort study of a cohort of 269 mother-child pairs (under two years of age) who presented over a 3-month period to a primary healthcare facility in Al Ain city, United Arab Emirates. Explanatory data was collected from the mothers by a face-to-face questionnaire survey. The mean age of the children at enrolment was 7 months (median 6, range 1 to 24). Ninety-six infants (36%) had been exclusively breastfed, 31 (11.5%) exclusively formula fed while 142 (52.8%) had received mixed feeding. Exclusive breastfeeding was significantly less common (n=29, 30.2%) among employed women (p=0.008) compared to those exclusively formula fed (n=17, 54.8%) or mixed fed (n=68, 47.9%). There was a significant (p<0.05) downward trend in the proportion of exclusively breastfed and of mixed fed infants between firstborn infants (n=44, 45.8%) and their subsequent siblings (n=81, 57%). In the city of Al Ain, the main factors impeding breastfeeding were mothers’ employment and their lack of awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding. Enhancing the health education of the mothers is urgently needed.