Breastfeeding practices can potential to prevent stunting for poor family

Sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding in 77 districts of Uganda

BACKGROUND

Uganda surpasses many African nations and the global average in exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates. Yet, malnutrition is a critical issue, with stunting impacting roughly 29% of children under 5 years. Enhancing EBF could mitigate such nutritional challenges. This study focused on determining the current EBF prevalence and identifying associated factors across 77 surveyed districts.

METHODS

Pooled data from the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys conducted in 77 districts in Uganda during 2021 and 2022 were analyzed. The analysis involved 7,210 mothers of children under 6 months, EBF was considered as the proportion of infants who received breast milk only in the 24 hours before the survey. A mother practicing EBF was (1) currently breastfeeding (2) had not started giving foods other than breastmilk (3) had not given any other probed liquids or (4) semi-solid foods the previous day or night. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with EBF, presenting adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals at a 5% significance level.

RESULTS

The prevalence of EBF was 62.3%. In the adjusted analysis, EBF was more common among older mothers 20-24 years, 25-29 years and 30 + years (aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2,1.6), (aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1, 1.6) and (aOR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1, 1.5) respectively compared to teenage mothers. Also, EBF was more likely among mothers who lived in rural areas compared to urban areas (aOR 1.1; 95% CI 1.0, 1.3) and those who attended antenatal care (ANC) (aOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.5, 3.1). On the contrary, EBF was less common for children aged 3-5 months compared to younger (aOR 0.5; 95% CI 0.5, 0.6) and children who had received Vitamin A supplementation (aOR 0.7; 95% 0.6, 0.8).

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that most districts in Uganda might not have made significant strides in improving EBF rates over the last twenty years, pointing to possible ongoing hurdles that need urgent attention. Particularly, there's a pressing need to focus on teenage mothers. Maintaining and strengthening programs that advocate EBF, such as ANC, is crucial to bridge the gaps and bring about more equitable rates among different groups.

The Influence of Factors of Breastfeeding and Food Consumption on Stunting Incidence among Preschool Children in Keerom District, Papua Province, Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Stunting is a nutritional problem due to linear growth failure in children under five, resulting in future health problems. Papua has a prevalence of stunting in children under five of 17.8% in 2018. AIM: This study aimed to analyze the influence of breastfeeding and consumption factors on the incidence of stunting in Keerom District, Papua Province. METHOD: This study was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. The sample in this study was 324 toddlers. Characteristics data and breastfeeding were obtained by interviewing parents. In contrast, data on the consumption of children under five were obtained using the Food Recall. Nutritional status was calculated using the Z-score obtained from measurements of body weight and height of children under five. SEM analysis was used to analyze breastfeeding and consumption factors on children's nutritional status under five. RESULT: The study results based on consumption (r = 0.052) and breastfeeding (r = -0.015) had a weak relationship with stunting incidence. CONCLUSION: There was a significant effect of consumption and breastfeeding factors on the incidence of under-five stunting.

The intervention of maternal nutrition literacy has the potential to prevent childhood stunting: Randomized control trials

Background: Stunting is the impaired growth and development of children due to poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychological stimulation. This research aims to examine the impact of maternal nutritional literacy (MNL) in increasing the height or score of a stunted child.

Design and Methods: This study is a randomized control trial, which uses a sample size of 85 participants, 43 interventions and 42 controls, an 80% stress test and a 95% confidence level. The intervention group of the MNL consists of families with children under the age of five, focused on the mother’s ability to perform breastfeeding, hygiene activities, care, and intervention for 3 months.

Result: The status of stunting was determined by the different distribution of stunting before and after the intervention in both the intervention and control groups. There was a decrease of about 9.3% of MNL in the intervention group, while in the control group it decreased by just 2.4% (p<0.05).

Conclusions: It can be concluded that MNL has an effect in preventing stunting, and it is recommended that preventive measures should focus more on normal children, while stunted children should be provided with breastfeeding as the core of MNL.