A Study of the Pattern of Breast Feeding in Ibadan, Nigeria

The pattern of breastfeeding among 3 groups of Nigerian mothers with babies aged between 6-18 months and from different socioeconomic backgrounds were reviewed to evaluate the effect of health education on the practice of breastfeeding. The 1st group included 150 consecutive mothers with babies within the specified age range attending the health center in Olodo village a rural low socioeconomic community located about 20 kilometers from Ibadan. The 2nd group consisted of 240 consecutive mothers with babies in the specified age range attending the health center at Idikan an urban low socioeconomic area of Ibadan. The 3rd group was made up of 560 mothers with babies in the specified age group seen at the Infant Welfare Clinic of the Institute of Child Health at the University College Hospital Ibadan. Only mothers who had completed at least secondary school education and whose husbands were equally or better educated were required. Analysis of the interview data was delayed until all the babies in the study had been weaned. There were 950 babies in all and breastfeeding was started in all the babies soon after delivery. The proportion of babies breastfed at the age of 6 months was 100% among the rural and urban poor but only 35% among the urban elite. At 12 months none of the babies among the urban elite were being breastfed while 100% and 80.8% of the babies in the rural poor and urban poor groups respectively still were being breastfed. The median duration of breastfeeding was 19 months in the rural poor group 13 months in the urban poor group and 5 months in the urban elite group. Supplementary feeding was introduced the earliest among the urban elite. The prevalence of supplementary feeding at the end of 1 month was 32% among the rural poor 82% among the urban poor and 100% among the urban elite. Urban poor mothers were the most ignorant about the advantages of breast milk over artificial feeds. Only 5% gave good reasons why breast milk was better than artificial feeds; the corresponding figures were 54% among the urban poor and 93% for the urban elite.