Abstract

Background:

Breast milk is the optimal nutrition for infants, and breastfeeding promotion is crucial for reducing neonatal mortality. The World Health Organization recommends donor breast milk as the best alternative when mother's own milk is unavailable. However, establishing human milk banks in Africa faces significant challenges due to limited awareness and cultural-religious barriers. This study assessed awareness and acceptability of donor human milk banking among women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital (Upanga campus and Mlongazila branch) between July 2019 and October 2021. Five hundred sixty-two women receiving care at these facilities were recruited using systematic sampling. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results:

Despite low awareness (only 12% had heard of milk donation for banking), acceptability was remarkably high: 486 women (86.48%) agreed to donate breast milk and 469 (83.45%) agreed to use donor breast milk. The primary motivations for acceptance were health benefits of breast milk (66.95%) and safety assurance (33.05%).

Conclusion:

Although community awareness of donor human milk banking remains low in Tanzania, the high acceptance rates for both donation and utilization of donor breast milk demonstrate strong community readiness for Human Milk Banking services. These findings support the feasibility of establishing milk banks in Tanzania and highlight the need for targeted awareness campaigns.

Keywords:

Breastfeeding, Donor Breast Milk, Human Milk Bank, Neonatal Nutrition, Tanzania.