Infant Feeding Practices in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

University of Washington Abstract Infant Feeding Practices in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo Jean-Jacques Kayembe Kashondo Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Dr. Karen Cowgill Department of Global Health Background: Breastfeeding is, in many ways, beneficial for both mother and child. The study was aimed primarily to describe infant feeding practices in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Secondarily, the study was aimed to describe the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of infants' families in Lubumbashi and to investigate the degree to which socioeconomic index and age of the mother predict exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: Seven hundred seventy-four women participated in a cross-sectional study within seven municipalities in Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga province. Women responded to a household survey questionnaire containing information on socio-demographic and infant feeding practices. Results: Only 26% of respondents exclusively breastfed their babies during the first six months after delivery, confirming the data in the literature affirming that exclusive breastfeeding remains low in Africa (Darmstadt et al., 2005). However, almost half of the women in Lubumbashi (48%) exclusively breastfed the child during the first week after delivery. Water (47%) and fufu (9%) were the most common complementary food given before the age of 6 months. The age of the infants varied from 6 months to 24 months, with a median of 12 months. Both mother's age and socioeconomic index were not significant predictors of exclusive breastfeeding (p-value = 0.245). Finally, when asked when the baby should be weaned, most respondents estimated that the ideal age of weaning for the infant should be 24 months. Conclusions: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Lubumbashi was low, although almost half of the women interviewed admitted having given breast milk to the infant. The findings also acknowledged that the introduction of complementary food the infant diet is associated with the mother's perception of the infant's hunger and satiety cues. Further research is needed to help understand the reasons behind the infant feeding practices in Lubumbashi. This could be an opportunity for an in-depth study to explore the relationship between feeding practices and malnutrition in this specific population.