* Osun State Leads the Pack with 75% per cent
By Gom Mirian
The highest rates of mothers aged 15-49 years who do not breastfeed their newborn children within one hour of birth are to be found in Jigawa and Imo States.
A new report has shown that only 23 per cent of newborn children in Nigeria are breastfed within one hour of birth.
The report, 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), indicates that over 77 per cent of children are not exclusively breastfed within one hour in the country.
According to the report, Osun State has the highest number of newborn children who were breastfed within one hour of birth with 75% per cent while Jigawa state recorded the lowest levels with 8%, closely followed by Imo State with 7 per cent.
It also indicates that two out of every ten newborn children representing 23 per cent were breastfed within one hour of birth.
The report stated this is a decrease from three out of every ten from 5 years ago.
The survey shows that 96.7 per cent of children were breastfed, but only 23.1 per cent were breastfed within one hour of birth while 81.9 were breastfed within one day of birth.
The MICS Survey is a household survey developed by UNICEF to assist countries in filling data gaps for monitoring human development indicators in general and the situation of children and women, in particular.
It has evolved over the years to respond to changing data needs, expanding from 28 indicators in the first round in 1999 to 200 in its current sixth.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) implemented MICS, which provides data on child mortality, health, nutrition, education, child and social protection, women’s healthcare and empowerment, water, sanitation and hygiene.
MICS was launched on 16 August alongside the National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) by Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
