Malnutrition and Breastfeeding of Infants at 6 Months in Rural TOGO

Introduction:Breastfeeding is the best way to provide ideal nutrition for ideal infant growth and development.The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of malnutrition at 6 months according to the mode of feeding.Patients and Method: This was a multicenter cross-sectional study that took place from January to July, 2021, in 6 health centers.Results: A total of 353 mother-child pairs participated in the survey.The sex ratio of children was 1.15 with 54% being boys.The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 48.4%, including 3.12% obesity and 5.38% wasting.Wasting was present in 10.4% of infants who were not exclusively breastfed.Stunting was found in 3.68% of infants, of whom 2.52% were exclusively breastfed, compared with 6.1% who were not exclusively breastfed.Underweight was found in 3.48% of infants who were not exclusively breastfed.Under weight was significantly associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding (p < 0.001). Conclusion:Malnutrition exists in all forms in 6-month-old infants, even in those exclusively breastfed.Breastfed children were less likely to suffer from severe malnutrition.