Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 40 2 2011 06 15 11 17 A Chiabi BG Kamga E Mah S Nguefack P Fokam W Tafen PF Tchokoteu 2015 10 03 Background: The study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of breast-feeding in the West re­gion of Cameroon. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in two health facilities on 195 mother-infant pairs, seen at the out patient and vaccination units of the Bafoussam Regional Hospital over a period of one month from 1st to 30th Septem­ber 2008. The socio-demographic characteristics of mothers, knowledge on breastfeeding and the practice of breastfeed­ing were studied. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software. The chi square and student t- test were used for com­parison and results considered significant for P< 0.05. Results: Breastfeeding was practised by 99.48% of the mothers. Only 33.8% of the mothers knew that they had to exclu­sively breastfeed up to 6 months, and 20% effectively breastfed up to 6 months. The mean duration of breastfeeding was 5.06 months and negatively correlated with the number of children and the profession of the mother. In 69.74% of the women, nothing was given to the baby before the first breastfeed. Discontinuation of breastfeeding was done averagely around 15.24 months and earlier in married women and in those with a higher educational level. Conclusion: Although the majority of parents practised breast feeding, only a minority understood its benefits, so more should be done to educate the community on the benefits of exclusive breast-feeding for up to six months.    https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/3046 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/3046/2846