Breast-feeding practices in a Black community.

This study was designed to obtain information about the prevalence of breastfeeding among rural and urban Blacks in order to determine whether the number of women providing early supplementary feeding has increased over a 4-year period. It was also undertaken to discover those groups at particular risk for failure to breastfeed optimally. Women attending child health clinics were interviewed. Over 95% had commenced breastfeeding but only 50% were doing so after 5-8 weeks. Women uncertain of whether or not to breastfeeding and those unsuccessful on a previous occasion are as likely to commence breastfeeding as are other groups but are more likely to introduce early supplementation. Improvements in hospital and clinic practice in connection with health education early suckling and the avoidance of supplementary feeding in newborns may have contributed to the slight increase in breastfeeding practice seen over the 4-year period studied. (authors modified)