Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

In this era of HIV/AIDS, exclusive breastfeeding faces a great challenge as mothers who are HIV/AIDS positive are advised to formula feed their infants to minimize transmission of the virus to the infant. Researches show that exclusive breastfeeding has been a greater challenge in Africa continent and Botswana in particular. The purpose of the study was to investigate the link between breastfeeding and weight gain on infants. A cross-sectional study design was employed with a sample size of 200 breastfeeding mothers (that is; from six months to one year) within the age range of 15 years to 49 years were randomly selected from 5 clinics in Gaborone. Questionnaire items addressed demographics, knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding, weight of infants and the challenges of practicing exclusive breastfeeding. The study depicts that, 115 (57.5%) of the mothers interviewed had never practiced exclusive breastfeeding. The study also indicates that, age and marital status of the participants significantly contribute to exclusive breastfeeding (p = 0.032 and p < 0.001 respectively). A Chi-square test shows that, there is a statistical association between practicing exclusive breastfeeding and infants weight gain (p = 0.041). It was indicated that, the critical challenges affecting exclusive breastfeeding practices were the medical conditions and the type of occupation of the mothers. It can be concluded that exclusive breastfeeding significantly contribute to reduce over weight reduction Gaborone. There is a great need for health promotion and education to explain to mothers the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.