Assessment of Socioeconomic Characteristics, Nutritional Status, and Challenges of Breastfeeding Mothers in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the levels of socioeconomic characteristics, nutritional status, and challenges among breastfeeding mothers and their implications for sustainable maternal and child health in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State. Three specific objectives and three research questions guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population was 130 nursing mothers and 61 health professionals. The stratified non-proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 97 nursing mothers and 61 health professionals. The instruments used for the data were questionnaires. The direct contact method was used to collect data. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions 2-5. Epi-info 2000 was used to determine the anthropometric indices of body mass index (BMI) for the mothers. The findings revealed that majority of the breastfeeding women had averagely low income. The BMI of the mothers showed that 24.7% were underweight (<18.5kg/m²); 49.5% were normal (18.5-24.9kg/m²); 14.4% were overweight (25.0-29.9kg/m²); while 11.3% were obese (≥30.0kg/m²). Fruits and vegetables consumption were low; 3.1% skipped breakfast; 19.5% skipped lunch, and 8.2% skipped dinner. Food consumption included 45.4% (beans); 34% (bread); 8.2% (plantain); 68% (rice); and 11.3% (seafood). The nutritional challenges of breastfeeding women include: low knowledge of nutrition ( 2.77, 2.71); lack of access to quality information ( 2.61, 2.91). The author recommended among others, that families should be encouraged to prioritize the nutrition of breastfeeding women.