Abstract
BackgroundDelaying the start of breastfeeding and giving prelacteal feeding leads to a significant increase in neonatal and infant deaths, particularly in a resource limited countries, like Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess early neonatal feeding practice and its determinants in Dabat HDSS site, northwest Ethiopia.MethodsThe census for the reconciliation of the surveillance of the Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site was conducted from October to December 2014. Data were entered into the Household Registration System (HRS) version 2.1 and analyzed using Stata version 14. A total of 6,761 mother-child pairs were included in the study. Sociodemographic factors, maternal health care and early neonatal feeding practices (early initiation of breastfeeding and prelacteal feeding) were collected by interviewing the mothers. The prevalence of early/timely initiation of breastfeeding was computed as the ratio of children put to the breast within one hour of delivery to the total number of children. Prelacteal feeding was defined as giving anything to drink other than breast milk in the first three days following birth. Binary logistic regression models were used to identify variables which were associated with the dependent variable. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding.ResultsThe prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was 43.9% (95% CI, 41.6, 46.2). More than half (56%) of the mothers gave prelacteal feeds. An urban residence (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.47, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.25. 1.73) and antenatal care (AOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.24, 1.59) were correlated with early initiation of breastfeeding. Similarly, increased odds of timely initiation of breastfeeding were observed among mothers who didn’t give prelacteal feeds (AOR 5.72; 95% CI, 5.12, 6.40).ConclusionDelayed initiation of breastfeeding and prelacteal feeding still remain public health concerns in this community. The promotion of improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and the utilization of antenatal care services should be intensified.
Highlights
Delaying the start of breastfeeding and giving prelacteal feeding leads to a significant increase in neonatal and infant deaths, in a resource limited countries, like Ethiopia
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends early initiation of breastfeeding and colostrum is produced with its wellknown benefits [1, 2]
Study setting and design The census for reconciliation for the surveillance of the Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site were conducted from October to December, 2014
Summary
Delaying the start of breastfeeding and giving prelacteal feeding leads to a significant increase in neonatal and infant deaths, in a resource limited countries, like Ethiopia. Breastfeeding within one hour of birth has important benefits both infants and the mothers. It enhances the child’s cognitive development and reduces its risk of developing many infectious. Breastfeeding benefits the biological and emotional health of the newborn, helps prevent maternal death by reducing maternal blood loss, and creates a strong and healthy relationship between mother and child [2,3,4,5,6]. Endorsement of early initiation of breastfeeding (EIB) is a cost effective intervention and may alone reduce 1.45 million or 22% of all neonatal deaths in developing countries [11, 13]. In most regions of the world, less than a half of all newborns are put to the breast within one hour in South Asia (42%), West and Central Africa (35%), and sub-Sahara Africa (45%) [15]
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