Evaluation of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices among Mothers of Infants Aged 0 to 59 Months in the Rural Commune of Sinder, Tillabery, Niger

Feeding practices play a major role in the nutritional status of children (WHO/UNICEF, 2009). The objective of this study was to evaluate the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of children aged 0 to 59 months in the rural commune of Sinder. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, which involved a representative and random sample of mothers of children aged 0 to 59 months. A questionnaire was completed through a structured interview. The data were collected with ODK software then analyzed with SPSS and Epi Info version 7.2 software. A total of 250 mother/child couples were enrolled. About 58% of newborns receive breast milk as their first food and 42% received pre-lacteal fluids. The majority of children are put to the breast early, including 55.2% immediately after birth and 34.4% within the next 24 hours, but 10.4% wait more than 24 hours. 66.4% of mothers say they have been made aware of EBF practices by health workers and 33.6% by those close to the mother. Around 37% of mothers say they do not believe in the nutritional and health benefits of EBF. Only 44% of infants receive EBF up to 6 months. The average duration of EBF is 4.4± 2.77 months. Among children receiving other foods in addition to breast milk before their sixth month, 56% receive water, 32.8% receive a herbal decoction, 45.6% take family meals, 50.4% drink the porridge. The practice of EBF in the rural commune of Sinder is suboptimal.