Knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers of children aged 6 to 12 months on breastfeeding in the province of Sissili in Burkina Faso

Background Breastfeeding practices during the first 1000 days of a child’s life are crucial for their health, development and survival. However, several factors influence mothers' sensitivity to breastfeeding. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers of children aged 6 to 12 months on colostrum, early breastfeeding and ablactation age. Methods A cross-sectional study with a descriptive aim was carried out from February 2021 to March 2022 in the province of Sissili in Burkina Faso. It consisted of an initial and final evaluation of 163 mother-child couples aged 6 to 12 months who participated in at least 5 consultation sessions for healthy infants in public health facilities. The chi-square test and the Wilcoxon rank test were used to analyze the associations of the variables and the difference between the levels of mothers' knowledge at the initial and final assessments respectively. Results Among surveyed mothers, colostrum was considered good for child health by 89.6% and 98.2% of mothers at initial and final assessments respectively. Almost all mothers (98.2%) gave colostrum and 3 out of 4 mothers breastfed their children in the first hour after childbirth. Colostrum donation and early breastfeeding by the mother are statistically associated with their occupations (P = 0.000) and their opinions on the effect of colostrum on infant health (P = 0.000). Awareness significantly increased mother’s knowledge on the benefits of colostrum, ablactation age, time and benefits of early breastfeeding (P = 0.000). It also had a positive impact on mother’s opinion of the effect of colostrum on infant health. Conclusion Data analysis sugest that it is necessary for health providers to be well trained or continously retrained to raise awareness among pregnant and parturient women about the optimal practice and benefits of breastfeeding.