Infant Mortality in Nigeria: Assessing Knowledge of Predisposing Risk Factors among Mothers and Bacteriological Profile of the Weaning Foods

Ossai Ochonogor Samuel^1,

¹Department of Vocational Education (Home Economics Units), Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

Cite this paper:
Ossai Ochonogor Samuel. Infant Mortality in Nigeria: Assessing Knowledge of Predisposing Risk Factors among Mothers and Bacteriological Profile of the Weaning Foods. American Journal of Food and Nutrition. 2013; 1(3):22-26. doi: 10.12691/ajfn-1-3-1

Abstract

A survey was conducted to evaluate the risk factors for persistent diarrhea and to ascertain the bacteriological profile of weaning foods given to less than 2 years of age children in Nigeria. Thirty nursing mothers were selected for the study and nine weaning foods sampled. Low education, unhygienic practices and poor knowledge about basic food safety issues were responsible for gross weaning foods contamination and frequent diarrheal episodes. All the examined weaning foods were contaminated with more than two bacterial species. Eight bacterial species namely E. coli, Klebsiella sp., Enterococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Staphylococcus sp., Micrococcus sp., Proteus sp., Citrobacter sp., were isolated. Staphylococcus sp. were isolated. The average bacterial load ranged from 2.2 x 10⁴ to 3.7 x 10⁶.cfu/g. Staphylococcus sp., was the most frequent isolates followed by Bacillus sp., E.coli and Micrococcus sp., while Citrobacter sp. and Klebsiella sp., were the least frequent isolates. Only two weaning foods; rice and yam/oil had bacterial count within the acceptable limit of less than or equal to 4 log10 cfu/g while three weaning foods; yam/oil, rice and noodles had Enterobacteriaceae count less than or equal to 3.0 log10 cfu g^-1. Food safety education of the target population and enforcement of existing laws on environmental sanitation and hygiene as a basic preventive strategy is hereby recommended.

Keywords:
infant mortality weaning foods bacterial contamination food safety education

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Figures

References:

[1]	Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH). Saving Newborn Lives in Nigeria: Newborn Health in the context of the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy, By Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria, 2011.
[2]	Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) report, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2008.
[3]	Ikeh, EI, Okwudili, PE, Agina, ES, Odumodu, CU. Micro-organisms Associated with Locally Available Infant Weaning Foods in Jos and Environs Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Paediatrics 2001; 28((7): 7-12.
[4]	Muhimbula HS and Issa-Zacharia A. Persistent child malnutrition in Tanzania: Risks associated with traditional complementary foods (A review). African Journal of Food Science 2010; 4(11): 679-692.
[5]	Moterjemi Y. Research Priorities on Safety of Complementary Feeding. Bull WHO 2000; 106: 1304-1305.
[6]	Margaret, K., Caryn, B and Richard, LG. The global burden of diarrheal disease, as estimated from studies published between 1992 and 2000. Bulletin of World Health Organization 2003; 81(3).
[7]	Oluwafemi, F and Ibeh, I. N. Microbial contamination of seven major weaning foods in Nigeria. Journal of Health Population and Nutrition, 2011; 29(4). [Online]. Avaliable: www.questia.com/library/1G1-267133538. [Accessed Feb. 21, 2013].
[8]	World Health Report (2005): Make Every Mother and Child Count. Geneva: World Health Organization.
[9]	Onofiok, N. O and Nnanyelugo, D. O. Weaning foods in West Africa: Nutritional problem and possible solutions. [Online]. Avaliable: http: //unu.edu/unupress/food/v191e/ch06.htm.
[10]	Ifediora, AC., Nkere, CK and Iroegbu, CU. Weaning Food Preparations Consumed in Umuahia, Nigeria: Evaluation of The Bacteriological Quality. Journal of Food Technology 2006; 4: 101-105.
[11]	Sheth, M and Dwivedi, R. Complementary Foods Associated Diarrhea. Indian J Pediatr 2006; 73 (1) : 61-64.
[12]	You D, Jones G, Wardlaw T, United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child MortalityEstimation,. Levels & trends in child mortality: estimated developed by he UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. New York: UNICEF; 2010.
[13]	Iroegbu, CU., Ene-Obong, HE., Uwaegbute, AC., Amazigo, UV. Bacteriological Quality of Weaning Food and Drinking Water Given to Children of Market Women in Nigeria: Implications for Control of Diarrhea. J Health Popul Nutr. 2000; 18(3): 157-162.
[14]	Kumarasamy, P., S. Vignesh, R. Arthur James, K. Muthukumar and A. Rajendran, Enumeration and identification of pathogenic pollution indicators in Cauvery River, South India. Res. J. Microbiol., 2009; 4: 540-549.
[15]	Cowan, C.L. and K.J. Steel. Manual of Identification of Medical Bacteria, 3rd Ed., Cambridge University Press, London, UK., 1974, ISBN-13: 9780521543286.
[16]	Sheth M, Obrah M. Diarrhoea prevention through food safety education;.Indian J of Pediatr 2004; 71 : 879-882.
[17]	Shi, L., Zhang, J., Wang, Y., Caulfield, L E and Guyer, B. Effectiveness of an educational intervention on complementary feeding practices and growth in rural China: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Public Health Nutrition; 2010; 13(4):556-565.
[18]	Sheth, M., Gurudasani, R., Mistry, V., Mehrotra, S and Seshadri, S. Food safety education as an effective strategy to reduce diarrhoeal morbidities in children less than two years of age. Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics; 2006; 43(1): 22-31.
[19]	Ojewumi, T. K., and Ojewumi, J. S. Trends in Infants and child Mortality in Nigeria: a wake up call assessment for intervention towards achieving the 2015 MDGs. Science Journal of sociology and Anthropology; 2012; 2012(2012):2.
[20]	Ossai, S. O. Bacteriological quality and safety of street vended foods in Delta State, Nigeria. Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, 2012; 2(5): 114-118.
[21]	Donkor, E.S., R. Lanyo, M.L. Akyeh, B.B. Kayang and J. Quaye. Monitoring enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157: H7 in the vegetable food chain in Ghana. Res J. Microbiol., 2008; 3: 423-428.
[22]	Brooks H. J., Mollison B. D., Bettelheim K. A., Matejka K., Paterson K. A., and Ward V. K.. Occurrence and virulence factors of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in retail meat in Dunedin, New Zealand. Lett. Appl. Microbiol., 2001;32:118-122.
[23]	Balaban, N. and A. Rasooly. Staphylococcal enterotoxins. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 2000; 61: 1-10.
[24]	Jay, J. M. Modern food microbiology, 4th Ed., CBS Publishers, New Delhi-110002, India, 2005, 501-503.