Infant Weaning Practices of some TIV Women Resident in Makurdi,Nigeria

Abstract

The weaning practices in infants aged 4 to 9 months of two hundred Tiv mothers in Makurdi, Nigeria were examined. The data was collected using a questionnaire from these randomly selected women from a known population and who regularly visited the public post-natal clinic in Makurdi.

The study showed that all the mothers breast-fed their infants and most introduced supplementary feed at 3 to 4 months. Most also fed the traditional pap or ‘akamu’ usually prepared by adding boiling water to fermented maize-sorghum paste. However, only a few of these (34%) enriched such paps. Price was a major determinant influencing the choice of feed fed to the infants. Only a few of the mothers (19%) used commercial milk formula, about a quarter fed legumes (24.5%) and fruits and vegetables (30%).

The study showed that the mother's educational level and occupation influenced both time and duration of breast feeding and introduction of milk formula. Three-quarter of the mothers used bottle feeding while a quarter used spoon and cup and the feeds were improperly stored. The significance of these findings is discussed

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Akinyele

I.O.

(1993). “Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”. An Inaugural Lecture from the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Feb. 4.

Alakija

Mudumbi

S.R.

(1981). Breast Feeding Practices of mothers from Mid-Eastern Nigeria, J. of Trop. Pediatr. 27, 96–98.

Berggren

G.G.

(1982). Questions and Answers about Weaning Food. Nutr. Bull. 4(1), 20–24.

Brown

R.E.

(1978). Weaning Food in Developing Countries. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 31, 2066–2072.

Cameron

Hofvander

(1976). Manual on Feeding Infants and Young Children, Protein Advisory Group of the United Nations.

Cherian

(1981). Attitudes and Practices of infant feeding in Zaria, Nigeria Ecol. of Food & Nutr. Vol. 11, pp. 75–80.

Eka

O.U.

Edijala

J.K.

(1976). Chemical composition of some traditionally prepared Nigerian Foods. Nig. J. Sci. 6(2), 157–162.

FAO (1975). Dimensions and causes of hunger and malnutrition. Food and Nutr. 1(1), 12–26.

Igbedioh

S.O.

Aderiye

J.B.I.

(1992). Breastfeeding pattern and weaning practices in infants and children in Makurdi, Nigeria under changing socio-economic conditions. Ecol.Food and Nutr. 29, 45–59.

10.

Igbedioh

S.O.

(1994). Influence of mothers occupation and education on breast feeding and weaning in infants and children in Makurdi, Nigeria, Nutr. and Hlth. 9, 211–224.

11.

Igbedioh

S.O.

Edache (1994). Infant weaning practices among some Idoma women in Makurdi (unpublished data).

12.

Kazimi

L.J.

Kazimi

H.R.

(1979). Infant feeding of the Igbo, Nigeria. Ecol. Food and Nutr. Vol. 8, pp. 111–116.

13.

NAERLS (1989). Soy beans in Nigerian diet. Extension bulletin No. 21, Home Economics Series No. 1, NAERLS, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

14.

Ojofeitimi

E.O.

(1981). Breast-feeding patterns in a Nigerian Maternity Centre. Clin. Pediatrics, Vol. 20, No. 412–414.

15.

Ogbeide

M.I.

(1992). Nutritional Status and Weaning Patterns of Benin City children. E/A Med. Journal, Vol. 57, No. 6.

16.

Orwell

Murray

(1974). Infant feeding and health in Ibadan Env . Child Hlth, 20, 205–219.

17.

Osuhor

P.C.

(1980). Weaning Practices amongst the Hausas, J. of Nutr. 34, 273–280.

18.

Pursall

E.W.

Jepson

M.C.

Smith

B.A.M.

Emery

J.L.

(1978). Breastfeeding and Mothers education. Lancet, 2, 734.

19.

Raphael

(1984). Into the mouths of Babies; maternal feeding practices in Traditional cultures. Greenwood Press.

20.

Raphael

King

(1977). Mothers in poverty: Breastfeeding and the maternal struggle of infant survival. Lactation Rev. II (3), 2–19.

21.

Scrimshaw

Underwood

(1980). Timely and appropriate complementary feeding of the breasted infant; An overview. Nutr. Bull. 2, 2–19.

22.

UNICEF (1992). Nutritional status of women and children in Nigeria. United Nations Children Emergency Fund, Lagos.

23.

UNICEF (1990). Strategy for improved nutrition of children and women in developing countries. A UNICEF policy review 1990—1, UNICEF, New York.

24.

Uwaegbute and Nnanyelugo (1989). Towards improving nutritional value of Traditional weaning Foods. Paper presented at the workshop on the review of present knowledge of weaning foods in Nigeria, held at Oshodi. Federal Institute of Industrial Research.