STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WEIGHTS OF BABIES UNDER DIFFERENT FORMS OF FEEDING PRACTICES A CASE STUDY OF MAMPONG MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

Regular assessment of weight gain among babies has been a way of assessing their health status and growth. This study assessed the weight gain among babies under different forms of feeding practices for the first nine months after birth. The feeding practices focused on in this study are Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF), Breastfeeding with water only (BFW), Breastfeeding with any other food including water (BFWO) and Non-Breastfeeding (NBF). Data was obtained from Mampong Babies Home, the Mampong Technical College of Education Primary School and the Akyeremade weighing centers, all at the Mampong Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The data was analysed using repeated measures univariate ANOVA, repeated measures MANOVA and linear models analysis of longitudinal data. The Results indicated that weights of babies were different under different forms of feeding practices although there was a general increasing trend (an increase in weight with time) for all the practices. The results showed that Exclusive Breastfeeding babies gained more weight than the others in the first six months of life.