The supplemental use of infant formula in the context of universal breastfeeding practices in Western Nepal

BMC Pediatrics

Research Article

Vishnu Khanal¹  Rajendra Karkee²  Colin W. Binns³  Jane A. Scott³  Andy H. Lee³ 

[1] Nepal Development Society, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal;School of Public Health and Community Medicine, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal;School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia;

关键词: Breastfeeding;    Baby formula;    Cohort studies;    Infant food;    Infant Formula;    Nepal;    Urban Health;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-016-0602-1

 received in 2015-07-12, accepted in 2016-05-11,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWhile the initiation of breastfeeding is universal in Nepal, little has been reported on formula feeding practices. This study aimed to report the prevalence of, and factors associated with, the use of infant formula as supplementary feeds in the Western region of Nepal.MethodsA community-based cohort study was conducted to collect infant feeding information among 735 postpartum mothers using structured questionnaires. Complete formula feeding data were collected from 711 women in the first, fourth and sixth month postpartum. Factors independently associated with formula feeding were investigated using multiple logistic regression.ResultsAll mothers were breastfeeding their infants at the time of recruitment. The prevalence of formula feeding was 7.5 % in the first month and 17 % in the sixth month. About a quarter of mothers (23.8 %) reported providing infant formula at least once during the first six months of life. Infant formula was used commonly as top-up food. Stepwise logistic regression showed that infants born to families residing in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.14; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.37 to 3.33), mothers with higher education (aOR: 2.08; 95 % CI: 1.14 to 3.80), and infants born by caesarean section (aOR: 1.96; 95 % CI: 1.21 to 3.18) were at greater risk of formula feeding.ConclusionThe current findings indicate that health workers should support mothers to initiate and continue exclusive breastfeeding particularly after caesarean deliveries. Furthermore, urban health programs in Nepal should incorporate breastfeeding programs which discourage the unnecessary use of formula feeding. The marketing of formula milk should be monitored more vigilantly especially in the aftermath of the April 2015 earthquakes or other natural disasters.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Khanal et al. 2016