Association Between Infant Carrying Methods, Duration, and Trunk Position among Nursing Mothers of Lahore
Keywords:
infant, Body mass index, caregivers, musculoskeletal painAbstract
Background: Infant carrying, which involves holding an infant in arms or using a baby carrier, enables a newborn to remain physically close to their mother. However, the physical demands of caring for a newborn can make nursing mothers more prone to developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
Objective: To determine the association between infant carrying methods, duration, and trunk position among nursing mothers of Lahore.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The study included 176 female participants of childbearing age (18-35 years) with a body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m²) and infants aged 0-2 years. Data was collected from six immunization centers and four postnatal clinics in Lahore. A standardized questionnaire, consisting of three sections, was used. Section A focused on socio-demographic and infant-maternal characteristics, while sections B and C addressed various infant carrying methods (ICMs) and related musculoskeletal injuries. The test-retest reliability coefficients of this questionnaire were 0.80 and 0.79, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.
Results: Out of 176 participants, 31.3% (n=55) commonly carry their infants in their arms, primarily adopting a forward trunk lean position (35.2%, n=62). Additionally, 76.1% (n=134) carry their infants for 1 to 6 hours daily. Musculoskeletal pain was predominantly reported in the upper limbs (65.4%, n=115) and upper back (68.2%, n=120). A significant association (p<0.05) was found between the infant carrying methods, trunk position, and time spent carrying an infant.
Conclusion: A greater number of participants used in-arms ICM for 1-6 hours daily, and reported forward lean trunk position, as well as upper limbs and upper back pain, suggesting an association between ICM duration and musculoskeletal discomfort.
Keywords: Body Mass Index, Caregivers, Infant, Musculoskeletal Pain
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 All Articles are made available under a Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International" license. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Copyrights on any open access article published by Journal Riphah college of Rehabilitation Science (JRCRS) are retained by the author(s). Authors retain the rights of free downloading/unlimited e-print of full text and sharing/disseminating the article without any restriction, by any means; provided the article is correctly cited. JRCRS does not allow commercial use of the articles published. All articles published represent the view of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of JRCRS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.