• Musa I Yakubu, Rachael U Odesanya, Medinat Y Abbas, and Basira K Lawal.
• Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Kaduna state University, Kaduna, Nigeria.
• Afr Health Sci. 2023 Jun 1; 23 (2): 682693682-693.

BackgroundExclusive breast feeding (EBF) in the first six months of life is recognized as an indispensable component of survival, physical and mental development of children. Despite the enormous benefits of EBF, only 39% of infants less than 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed globally.ObjectivesThis study assessed EBF knowledge, practice and associated factors among nursing mothers attending health facilities in Kaduna metropolis.MethodsDescriptive and cross-sectional study carried out with the aid of a structured questionnaire at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and Gwamna Awwal General Hospital in Kaduna. The participants were recruited by simple random sampling technique with the assistance of trained research assistants for four consecutive weeks in each of the hospital. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16.ResultsMajority of the participants were in the age range of 21-30 years. Their main source of information on breastfeeding was from ante-natal clinics (78.3%). Most (86.6%) of the participants had a good knowledge and awareness about EBF, 69.1% of them initiated breastfeeding immediately after birth (within an hour) and 70% of the participants practiced EBF. Insufficient milk, belief that infants require extra fluid, fear of alteration in the breast figure, cultural practice and societal beliefs were identified as the most common barriers to the practice of EBF.ConclusionsFindings from this study showed that most of the participants had a very good knowledge of EBF and are practicing it.© 2023 Yakubu MI et al.

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