Open AccessBreastfeeding practices of HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative women in Kabarole district, Uganda
Author(s) -
Lanktree Esmé,
Ssebuko Arthur,
Alibhai Arif,
Jhangri Gian,
Kipp Walter,
Saunders L. Duncan
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
maternal and child nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1740-8709
pISSN - 1740-8695
DOI - 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2010.00245.x
Subject(s) - medicine , breastfeeding , odds ratio , residence , confidence interval , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , breast feeding , multivariate analysis , family medicine , demography , pediatrics , environmental health , sociology
Ugandan policy regarding infant feeding for HIV‐positive mothers is replacement feeding (RF), if feasible; otherwise, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 3 months is advised (or EBF for 6 months, if RF is still not feasible). HIV‐negative mothers should practise EBF for 6 months. The study objective was to explore the association between maternal HIV status and breastfeeding practices in Kabarole, Uganda. Data were collected from questionnaires administered at home to 182 women (44 HIV‐positive and 138 HIV‐negative) 3 months post‐partum and from medical charts. The HIV‐negative women were matched on delivery date to HIV‐positive women at a ratio of 3:1. Interviewers were blinded to HIV status. There was no statistically significant association between adherence to Ugandan national feeding guidelines and maternal HIV status in bivariate analysis [odds ratio (OR) = 1.52; confidence interval (CI): 0.76–3.04]. Multivariate analyses showed a significant association between adherence to feeding guidelines and child illness (OR = 0.40; CI: 0.21–0.79) and between adherence to feeding guidelines and rural residence in Burahya county (OR = 2.43; CI: 1.15–5.13). Many mothers do not follow the feeding guidelines for HIV infection. This region‐specific information on breastfeeding practice determinants will be used to inform local Prevention of Mother‐to‐Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes. The nature of the association between child illness and EBF should be further explored.