The Impact of Exclusive Infant Feeding Formula Programme on the Growth of Infants Aged 3-6 Months Born to Hiv-infected Mothers at Thika District Hospital, in Kenya

Abstract

Infant formula feeding has been recommended as an intervention in the prevention of mother-tochild transmission of HIV in addition to the management of infants with special conditions that make breastfeeding difficult. The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of exclusive infant formula-feeding on growth and morbidity among HIV exposed infants in order to determine the safety of using this method of feeding infants. The primary end-point was weight-for-Age Z-score and clinical manifestations. The longitudinal study was done at Thika hospital. Sample size was 91 infants of whom 44 were on exclusive infant formula feeding while 47 were on exclusive breast feeding from the age of 3 months to 6 months. Study participants on exclusive infant formula received infant formula that was administered orally and then monitored for a period of six months.

The main method of data collection was through anthropometric measures interview and structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze continuous and categorical variables whereas Pearson's Chi-square test was used to determine association between categorical variables. Regression analysis was performed on all independent variables previously tested individually and confirmed to relate significantly with the dependent variable(s}. Level of significance was fixed at 0.05 (p=0.05) which is a 95% confidence interval. Data was presented using tables to provide an overview of the study findings. The study provided useful information that can be used to develop evidence-based decisions and formulation of strategies for improving the existing infant feeding policies in the context of HIV exposure.