Abstract:

The current WHO/UNICEF feeding recommends that breastfeeding with good nutrition is essential to achieving the UN sustainable development goals. This study was carried out to assess the environmental variables influencing exclusive breastfeeding of infants aged 0–6 months in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. Three objectives guided the study. Cross sectional descriptive survey design was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire which was validated by experts and was administered to four hundred (400) post natal women of child bearing age who were randomly selected. The data collected were analyzed using statistical methods, which included mean, chi square, and t-test which were presented in frequencies and percentages. The result revealed that 44.7% of babies were exclusively breastfed while more than half (55.3%) were not exclusively breastfed. The result of this study also showed that maternal education had a significant effect on their exclusive breastfeeding pattern (P < 0.05) as 65.9% of mothers who breastfed exclusively had up to tertiary education. An association was also found between the parity of mother and breastfeeding practices. This is because 46.3% of mothers who had three or more children breastfed their children exclusively. This study showed a positive association between place of delivery and breastfeeding practices. Place of delivery revealed a significant difference between the two groups as exclusive breastfeeding was observed in 95.5% babies delivered in government health facilities compared with 4.5% delivered at private health facilities. Health workers should educate the mothers about the benefit of exclusive breastfeeding. Some other factors found to prevent mothers from practicing exclusive breastfeeding were finance, 36 (16.3%); personal reasons, 51 (20.1%); lack of time as they have to go back to work, 72 (32.6%); dissatisfaction, 40 (18.0%); stress, 9 (4.0%); baby's refusal, 7 (3.2%); and pains, 6 (2.7%).