Attitudes and Practice of Kuwaiti Women toward Breastfeeding

Abstract

A survey was conducted to assess the attitudes towards breastfeeding, its prevalence and duration among Kuwaiti married women. Five hundred eighty-five women from different regions of the country with at least one child of their own, willing to furnish data were included in the survey. The results of this study show that 71 percent of newborns are breastfed at birth. The percentage of breast-fed infants declines to 50 percent by the time they are one month old, and to 10 percent among five-month-old infants. The expected duration of breastfeeding is about two months. This study also reveals a wide gap existing between the attitudes, knowledge and practice of breastfeeding among Kuwaiti women. Their attitude towards breastfeeding is largely positive. This study emphasizes that with appropriate health education and supportive measures sensitive to the needs of this community, breastfeeding can retain its integral part in the process of human reproduction and child development.