Influence of Maternal Anthropometric Measurements and Dietary Intake on Lactation Performance in Umuahia Urban Area, Abia State, Nigeria

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of maternal anthropometry and dietary intake on lactation performance in a small subset of mothers in Umuahia urban, Abia State. Subjects and Methods: The influence of maternal anthropometry and dietary intake on lactation performance was investigated in 27 postpartum women at delivery and subsequently at 1, 3, 4 and 6months postpartum. Dietary intake was by weighed inventory method and 24-hr recall. Breast milk output was determined by test weighing procedure. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were performed on both mothers and their infants, while BMI was calculated for the mothers. Maternal body fat (%) was estimated from skin-fold thickness measurements. Data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means (SD), ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Majority of the mothers were in the age range of 26-35 years. Exclusive breastfeeding rate at the end of 6 months was 22%. Maternal mean height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat immediately after delivery were1.61±0.08cm, 72.55±11.01kg and 27.90±4.44kg/m2 and 27.35±5.82%. At the end of the 6th month, mean weight, BMI and body fat were 71.15±3.25kg, 27.84±4.78 kg/m2 and 27.43±2.93%. BMI classification at the end of the 6th month showed that the mothers were overweight (50%) and obese (50%). Infant weight and height were comparable to WHO reference curves during the period of study. Average breast milk output was 866.62g/d, while infant milk intake and frequency of feeding were 820.62g/day and 9.51feeds/day. Mean energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate intake averaged 2396kcal, 52.21g, 44.81g and 446.11g. Breast milk output was not related with body weight and body fat (P>0.05), but was associated with energy intake (