1Distinction in Health Sciences (dietetics) E-mail: cheika1108@hotmail.com
2Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Mauritius e-mail: m.mamodekhan@uom.ac.mu
Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius e-mail: alimamode@yahoo.co.uk
AMS subject classification:
Breastfeeding is an important concept in the maternal life of a woman. In this paper, we focus on exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding is the feeding of a baby on no other milk apart from breast milk. This type of breastfeeding is very important during the first six months because it supports optimal growth and development during infancy and reduces the risk of obliterating diseases and problems. Moreover, in Mauritius, exclusive breastfeeding has decreased the incidence and/or severity of diarrhea, lower respiratory infection and urinary tract infection. In this paper, we give an overview of exclusive breastfeeding in Mauritius and the factors influencing it. We further analyze the local practices of exclusive breastfeeding using the Generalized Poisson regression model and the negative-binomial model since the data are over-dispersed.
Exclusive breastfeeding, regression model, generalized Poisson, negative binomial
