Effects of Exclusive Breastfeeding on Cognitive Development during Early Childhood in Kahawa West Ward, Nairobi, Kenya

Background: The effects of breastfeeding during infancy have been a major point of inquiry among scientists. Scientists link breastfeeding to child cognitive, educational, mental, behavioral and psychomotor development (Kramer, 2008; Oddy, 2006). The literature was sourced using the relevant research articles from Psych Net, PubMed and Google Scholar among others. Objectives: The general objective of the research was to find out the effects of exclusive breastfeeding on cognitive development on early childhood in Kamae, Kiwanja and Soweto slums at Kahawa West ward, Nairobi, Kenya. Key words: cognitive development, low birthweight, exclusive breastfeeding, infants and toddlers and postnatal period. Methodology: The research design was expostfacto in which the children who were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of birth were compared with their counterparts who were formula fed. Cognitive assessment was done for both groups using Bayley’s Screening test for infant development between 1-42 months. Total number of children was 180,(Females=93, males= 87). Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference in cognitive development between the exclusively breastfed and the formula fed (M=1.444, SD=0.5) and (M=1.556, SD=0.5) respectively. ANOVA comparing the two groups was [F (1, 179) = 0.088, p= 0.767].Likewise there was no gender difference in cognitive functioning.ANOVA comparing the two groups (,males=87 and females=93) was[F (1,180) =0.147, p=0.997]. Socioeconomic status and cognitive development was not assessed. Conclusion: The research concludes that there is no difference in cognitive functioning of exclusively breastfed compared to the formula fed.Gender difference was also insignificant. Finally more longitudinal studies need to be done with large samples to establish the cause and effect of the investigated variables.