09 Breast feeding indicators in Dakahlia.pmd

1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Mansoura, Mansoura, Egypt. Received: 26/08/01; accepted: 08/01/02 ABSTRACT This study was carried out in Dakahlia Governorate to assess current breastfeeding practices using the standardized breastfeeding indicators developed by the World Health Organization and to highlight the impact of some socioeconomic and maternal factors on these indicators. An interview was carried out with mothers of 1200 infants and children < 24 months during a poliomyelitis immunization campaign in urban and rural areas. The findings indicate that 84.6% of infants aged 0–4 months are fully breastfed, with 42.5% and 42.1% of them exclusively and predominantly breastfed respectively. Rural infants are more likely to be exclusively breastfed, to continue breastfeeding for 1 year and to initiate breastfeeding early. Non-working mothers are more likely to breastfeed exclusively and more likely to continue breastfeeding for 1 year.