Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Mothers Regarding Exclusive Breastfeeding in Rural Areas of Brobo (Côte d’Ivoire)

Introduction:In C?te d’Ivoire, despite awareness raising among mothers by health authorities and health care providers, the exclusive breastfeeding rate is still low, 23%. This rate seems even lower in rural areas. The objective of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers regarding exclusive breastfeeding for the reduction of malnutrition in rural areas. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Brobo from July to September 2020. It included consenting mothers of infants aged 0 to 24 months. Mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and practice were assessed by an anonymous structured questionnaire with a performance threshold set at 75%. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding were investigated by the Chi-square test at the 5% level of significance. Results: The average age of the 183 mothers was 25 years (extremes 13 and 49 years). They were primigravida (33%) and had a low socioeconomic level (84%). The mothers knew the definition of exclusive breastfeeding (33%). They knew that breastfeeding promoted ideal infant growth (64%) and protected against diarrhea and infection (18%). They also knew that breastfeeding reduced the mother’s risk of cancer (16%) and strengthened the mother-infant bond (7%). The mothers interviewed stated that they had put the baby to the breast within the first hour after delivery in 2% and 63% of them gave the baby colostrum. Mothers were confident about breastfeeding (91%) and exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age represented 9%. The factor associated with lack of knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding was not attending school (OR 0.26;95%CI 0.14 - 0.48;p < 0.01) and those associated with good practice of exclusive breastfeeding were not attending school (OR 4.94;95%CI 1.09 - 22.21;p = 0.03) and multiparity (OR 0.30;95%CI 0.09 - 0.97;p = 0.04). Conclusion: The mothers interviewed in the rural areas of Brobo have insufficient knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding exclusive breastfeeding. To improve this situation, we recommend capacity building of mothers through awareness raising.