MATERNAL KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS ADEQUATE INFANT NUTRITION AMONG POSTNATAL MOTHERS AT A FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE, NIGERIA

Background: Suboptimal infant feeding practices remain a leading cause of preventable child malnutrition and mortality in Nigeria. Despite well-established global recommendations, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates and appropriate complementary feeding practices are critically low, particularly in the Niger Delta region. Objective: To assess maternal knowledge and attitude towards adequate infant nutrition, including EBF and weaning practices, and to examine whether socio-demographic characteristics are significantly associated with feeding outcomes among postnatal mothers attending a federal tertiary health facility in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional analytical study design was employed. One hundred and twenty postnatal mothers were recruited by simple random sampling from the postnatal clinic of a federal medical centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Data were collected through a structured, pre-validated, researcher-administered questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of EBF and infant nutrition, weaning knowledge and practice, and attitude towards ensuring adequate infant nutrition. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and inferential analyses comprising Pearson chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, one-way analysis of variance, and Spearman rank correlation were applied. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The majority of mothers (71.7%) reported exclusively breastfeeding their infants; however, only 39.2% sustained EBF for six to 12 months. Only 31.7% weaned at the recommended age of six months, and pap (ogi/akamu) was the dominant weaning food (68.3%). Most respondents (73.3%) reported a positive attitude towards ensuring adequate infant nutrition. Nurses were identified as the primary information source by 81.7% of respondents. Chi-square analysis and binary logistic regression revealed no statistically significant associations between any socio-demographic variable and either EBF practice or positive attitude towards infant nutrition (all p > 0.05; Cramér's V range: 0.000–0.108). Conclusion and Recommendations: A significant knowledge–practice gap exists among postnatal mothers in this setting. The absence of significant demographic predictors indicates that the barriers to optimal infant feeding are socio-cultural, structural, and system-level in nature. Targeted, culturally responsive nursing interventions integrated into antenatal and postnatal care platforms are urgently required.