The influence of infant feeding practices on infant mortality in Southern Africa.
Date
2014-09-17
Authors
Motsa, Lungile F.
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Abstract
Context: Despite the many initiatives implemented over the past decades as part of the global
priority on child survival, there still exists high infant mortality in Southern Africa. Although
studies have examined factors contributing to poor child health outcomes including the effect
of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there is paucity of studies on the possible effect of infant feeding
practices on infant mortality in the region. This study examines the association between
infant feeding practices and infant mortality in Southern Africa. The need to reduce infant
mortality is a global health concern hence the United Nations through the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) declared the reduction of infant and child mortality as one of its
major targets by the year 2015.
Methods: A merged dataset from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys for
Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe was analysed in this study. A total number of 13,
218 infants born in the last five years preceding the surveys whose information on infant
feeding practices was available formed the analysis sample. The outcome variable was infant
mortality and infant feeding practices which had the categories, no breastfeeding, partial
breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding was the main explanatory variable of the study.
Other explanatory variables used in the study pertained to maternal demographic and socioeconomic
characteristics as well as the infants’ bio-demographic characteristics. The Cox
Hazard Regression Model was employed to examine both the unadjusted and adjusted effect
of infant feeding practices on infant mortality in Southern Africa.
Results: Although, exclusive breastfeeding was quite low (12%), its mortality reduction
effect was significant, and infants who were exclusively breastfed exhibited a 97% lower risk
of dying during infancy compared to no breastfeeding in the region. Further, variations exist
by country in the levels and patterns of both infant mortality and infant feeding practices.
Country, highest educational level, marital status, sex of child, preceding birth interval and
birth weight were the significant predictors of infant mortality in Southern Africa.
Conclusions: Overall, the study found that any form of breastfeeding whether exclusive or
partial breastfeeding greatly reduces the risk of infant mortality, with the mortality reduction
effect being higher among exclusively breastfed infants in the Southern African region. Thus,
in order to reduce the upsurge of infant mortality, there is need to step up the effectiveness of
child nutrition programmes that promote breastfeeding and put emphasis on exclusive
breastfeeding of infants in the region.
Description
Keywords
Infant feeding practices, Infant mortality, Southern Africa