ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding in babies 0 —6 months in Abia State of Nigeria. Data were collected from three hundred and twenty in1nts from eight local Government Areas in Abia State. The subjects were divided into study groups and control groups (n = 160). Data was collected using questionnaire, clinic records and observational studies. The result of data analyzed from the clinic records showed that 23 babies (14.38%) had diarrhea during the first 6 months of birth when they were being exclusively breastfed while 72 babies (45%) had diarrhea from the control group who were not exclusively breastfed. 35 infants (21.88%) had respiratory tract infections during their first 6 months of life from the study group while 73 infants (45.6%) had respiratory tract infections from the control group. 27 infants (16.88%) had intestinal colics from the study group while 58 infants (36.2%) had it from the control group. Non of the infants had obesity from the study group while the growth chart of 4 infants (2.8%) from the control group was above the normal curve of 97 percentile. The result of these data confirm the health benefits that exclusive breastfeeding saves the life of infants and protect them against common childhood diseases and also prevent them from developing obesity. And so mothers are encouraged to exclusively breastfeed their babies during their first 6 months of life.