Abstract

Using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical underpinning, this cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the perception of  market women, who are mothers of under-two, on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and the susceptibility of their children to the risks associated with non-practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Employing the survey method, two markets (Sabo and Whitesand) in Lagos Mainland Local Government, Lagos State, were selected. A sample size of 231was selected using systematic sampling. Findings revealed that most of the women had favourable perceptions of the social and economic benefits of exclusive breastfeeding than of the core health benefits; have low perceptions of the risks their babies are prone to when they do not exclusively breastfeed; and even have lower perceptions of the health risks they as mothers are exposed to when they do not practice exclusive breastfeeding. There was no significant relationship between the perceived susceptibility and their practice. The factors which influenced exclusive breast feeding among these women are maternal age, education, marital status, number of children, source of information and the sex of the baby. The number of children the women had was the most significant contributor followed by marital status and education, and age. The source of information and the sex of the baby were other factors.

Key Words: Health Belief Model, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Children, Market Women, Lagos State

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*Dr. Abigail  Odozi Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Head, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.

**Faith Aanu Oloruntoba is of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.

+The authors acknowledge the technical support of the Network on Behavioural Research for Child Survival in Nigeria (NETBRECSIN).

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 8, No. 1, Sp. 1, May 2016, 46 – 65