Myths and Customs Related to the Feeding of Young Children and Pregnant Women in the Rural Island Commune of Sinder, Tillabéri Region, Niger: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Access to safe, adequate and nutritious food is a basic human right that is essential for good health (WHO, 2008). Unfortunately, this basic right is denied in many low- and middle-income countries, partly due to food insecurity, poverty and inappropriate food distribution (Torheim and Arimond, 2013). This study aims to identify myths and customs related to the feeding of young children and pregnant women by mothers and wet nurses in the rural commune of Sinder. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study on a representative sample of mothers of children under five years old. A questionnaire was completed using a structured interview. Data were collected using ODK software and analyzed using SPSS and Epi Info version 7.2 software. A total of 166 mothers were surveyed. A total of 166 mother-child pairs were enrolled in this study. This study shows a male predominance of 54.22%. Mothers who do not attend school represent the majority of the sample 61.44%. The majority of children, approximately 43%, are between 24 and 59 months old with 23±6.12 months. Approximately 38% are undernourished. The foods prohibited for pregnant women were goat's milk, cassava couscous and spicy foods. Goat's milk would cause skin diseases in pregnant women according to 13.86% of the mothers surveyed. The majority of mothers, or 63.86%, observe food taboos and prohibitions in their children's diet. Among these "forbidden" foods, moringa leaves are the most cited followed by eggs. The mothers' justifications focus more on the abdominal pain and diarrhea that these foods could cause.