Zambia Demographic and Health Survey 2001-2002 - Measure DHS

than half (51 percent) of the infants were put to the breast within one hour of birth, and 90 percent startedbreastfeeding within the first day. These proportions are less than the 1996 levels: 58 percent and 91percent, respectively.There are no marked differences in the proportion of children ever breastfed by backgroundcharacteristics. However, significant differences exist with respect to breastfeeding initiation within thefirst hour. A larger proportion of urban infants (61 percent) are breastfed within one hour of birth thanrural infants (47 percent).Initiation of breastfeeding varies among provinces. The proportion of infants that are breastfedwithin one hour of birth ranges from 33 percent in Western province to 64 percent in Lusaka province.Western province has the lowest percentage of children who started breastfeeding within one day of birth:66 percent compared with 88 percent or higher in the other provinces.Prelacteal feeding is not widely practiced in Zambia. Only 26 percent of children born in the fiveyears preceding the survey received a prelacteal feed. Prelacteal feeding is more widely practiced in ruralareas (31 percent) than urban areas (16 percent). North-Western (49 percent) and Western provinces (46percent) have the highest reported rates of this practice. Women who did not deliver in a health facilityhave higher reported rates of prelacteal feeding (31 percent) than those who delivered in a health facility(20 percent).A breastfeeding programme started in urban areas of Zambia in 1992 may have had an impact onregional differences in the prevalence of early breastfeeding and breastfeeding initiation. However, theprogramme was discontinued for the period because of the uncertainties of the risk of transmission of theAIDS virus to the baby through breast milk. Training has since resumed, taking care of the concernsthrough the infant and young child feeding counseling, of which breastfeeding is a major component.11.1.2 Age Pattern of BreastfeedingBreast milk is safe, convenient, uncontaminated and contains all the nutrients needed by the babyin the first six months of life. In Zambia, all women are encouraged to breastfeed their infants exclusivelyfor the first six months and then complement the breastfeeding with nutritious foods for at least two years.Breast milk provides protection against infection through the mother’s antibodies. Supplementing breastmilk before 6 months is unnecessary and is strongly discouraged because of the likelihood ofcontamination, the unaffordability of breast milk substitutes, and the resulting increased risk of diarrhoealdisease. The early introduction of liquids and solids reduces breast milk output because the productionand release of milk is influenced by the frequency and intensity of suckling. HIV positive mothers maytransmit the virus to their infants during pregnancy or delivery. Some may also transmit the virus to theirinfants via breast milk. However, the majority (80 percent) of infants of HIV-positive women do notbecome infected from their mothers through breast milk. Breastfeeding remains the best nutrition evenfor infants of HIV-positive mothers and mothers of unknown status as it provides resistance toopportunistic diseases.Table 11.2 presents breastfeeding practises from birth through the third year of life. Based oninformation about feeding practises in the 24 hours preceding the survey, almost all children are breastfedfor at least one year, with only 3 percent of children aged 12-15 months who are not breastfed. By age 16-19 months, 15 percent of children are no longer breastfeeding. Breastfeeding decreases rapidly late in thesecond year of life, so that by 28-31 months of age, virtually all children (97 percent) are weaned. In the1996 ZDHS, almost all children were weaned by 34 months.Nutrition among Children and Women │ 165