Abstract :
Objective: A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the infant feeding practices of Saudi mothers in fivedifferent regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Self administered questionnaires were randomly distributed to mothers with children aged less than 2 years attending major children s hospitals in fivedifferentregions. The questionnaire covered different demographic data such as mother s age, occupation, educational level, number of children, marital status, region, and type of feeding or nursing. Results: In general 48.2% of the mothers preferred exclusive bottle feeding, followed by bottle and breast feeding (29.7%) with only 22.0% of the mothers preferring exclusive breast feeding. Statistical test on the effect of the different demographic factors on the mothers preference of infant feeding were found to be highly significant,(?2test,P=0.01).Step wise Logistic regression test shows that the most significant factors affecting the mothers infant feeding practices were mothers education and maritalstatus. Conclusion:Bottle feeding was the most common method of infant feeding by all the participating mothers. Medical professionals should educate mothers to increase their awareness of the importance of breast feeding.
