Feeding patterns and health assessment of the Fijian and the Fiji-Indian neonate [microform]
- Bib ID:
- 3282700
- Format:
- Book and Microform
- Author:
- Morse, Janice M
- Description:
- 230 p.
- Summary:
-
The effect of infant feeding on infant health in the Fijian and the Fiji-Indian neonate is described. Cultural and physiological parameters of the problem were examined: the pattern of breast- and bottle-feeding, the factors influencing the mother's choice of infant feeding method, and the impact of feeding on infant health using infant weight gain as the criterion variable. Data were collected from three different sources. First, a cultural description of the context of infant care was obtained from multigravida women and traditional birth attendants. To assess the inhibitors and facilitators to breast-feeding, participant observation and interviews were conducted with the mothers attending the postnatal clinic. Second, interviews and physical examinations were given to 33 mother-infant dyads within three days of delivery. These examinations were repeated six weeks postpartum. Third, a retrospective survey of the hospital records of all births for one year were conducted.
Information on the mothers, on infants born during that year, and on previous infants born to those mothers was collected. The total sample consisted of 941 mothers, and 1801 infants. Data were collected on prenatal variables, delivery variables, infant feeding variables, and infant weight gain was used as the criterion variable. In spite of the attempts of the hospital to establish breast-feeding with all mothers before discharge, a pattern of mixed-feeding became apparent. Fifteen percent of the mothers changed their feeding method in the first week. By the sixth week, only 48% of the mothers were breast-feeding, 38% were using both breast and bottle, and 15% were bottle-feeding. The study further showed that the Fijian community response toward the infant initially enhanced breast-feeding, but later tended to encourage bottle-feeding as multiple caretakers separated the mother and the infant.
"Poison milk" was the main cultural belief interfering with nursing. With the Fiji-Indian, the cultural value of modesty and the status of the Indian mother in the household were the main cultural barriers to nursing. Consistent with previous research there was statistical significance correlating ten of the variables obtained from the hospital survey data. However, path analysis demonstrated that these variables in total contributed to only 9% of the total variance of infant weight gain, and are therefore of no clinical importance. These findings support Dugdale (1980) that in the more developed third world countries, selection of the breast-/bottle-feeding is not an important factor contributing to infant morbidity.
- Notes:
-
- (UnM)AAI8202200
- Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-08, Section: A, page: 3658.
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--The University of Utah, 1981.
- Reproduction:
- Microfiche. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International.
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Physical
- Other authors/contributors:
- The University of Utah
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 1981
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