*Corresponding Author: Foli AGBEKO, Department of Pediatrics, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo.

Received: February 05, 2024; Published: February 16, 2024

Abstract

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the best way to provide ideal nutrition for ideal infant growth and development. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of malnutrition at 6 months according to the mode of feeding.

Patients and Method: This was a multicenter cross-sectional study that took place from January to July, 2021, in 6 health centers.

Results: A total of 353 mother-child pairs participated in the survey. The sex ratio of children was 1.15 with 54% being boys. The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 48.4%, including 3.12% obesity and 5.38% wasting. Wasting was present in 10.4% of infants who were not exclusively breastfed. Stunting was found in 3.68% of infants, of whom 2.52% were exclusively breastfed, compared with 6.1% who were not exclusively breastfed. Underweight was found in 3.48% of infants who were not exclusively breastfed. Under weight was significantly associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Malnutrition exists in all forms in 6-month-old infants, even in those exclusively breastfed. Breastfed children were less likely to suffer from severe malnutrition.

Keywords: Malnutrition; Feeding; 6 Months; Togo

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Citation

Citation: Foli AGBEKO., et al. “Malnutrition and Breastfeeding of Infants at 6 Months in Rural TOGO".Acta Scientific Paediatrics 7.3 (2024): 06-10.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Foli AGBEKO., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.