Abstract
BackgroundExclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding infants only breast milk, be it directly from breast or expressed, except drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements or medicine. Exclusive breastfeeding is one of the essential actions for infant development and survival. However, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Ethiopia has been estimated at 52% which is far less than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Moreover, there are inconsistencies among estimates in different districts of the country. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in Gozamin district, northwest Ethiopia.MethodsUsing the simple random sampling technique, seven kebeles (lowest administrative units) were selected as the primary sampling unit of the district. Sample mother-infant pairs were then selected using the systematic random sampling technique that involved our moving from house to house in each village. Data were collected from 506 mother-infant pairs using interviews. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding were determined using logistic regression. The measure of association used was the odds ratio, and statistical tests with p-values of less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.ResultsIn this study, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers was 74.1% (95% CI 70.80, 79.10). For government employee mothers, the odds of exclusive breastfeeding were reduced by half compared to housewives (AOR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26, 0.94). Mothers who did not receive breastfeeding counseling after delivery were 0.43 times less likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared with mothers who received the services (AOR 0.43, 95% CI 0.25, 0.72). Mothers who gave birth at health institutions were more likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding.ConclusionEven though the estimated prevalence is relatively high, more effort to meet WHO recommendations is still necessary. Therefore, we suggest health institutions encourage hospital birthing and increase breastfeeding counseling after delivery, and employers needs to give longer maternity leave to improve exclusive breastfeeding practice.
Highlights
Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding infants only breast milk, be it directly from breast or expressed, except drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements or medicine
In order to achieve optimal growth, development and health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Nutrition Programme (NNP) of Ethiopia recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, which means that infants should receive only breast milk except prescribed medications, vitamins, and minerals [1, 2]
According to WHO, 90% exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice strongly reduces the incidence of infant mortality due to pneumonia [5]
Summary
Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding infants only breast milk, be it directly from breast or expressed, except drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements or medicine. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Ethiopia has been estimated at 52% which is far less than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in Gozamin district, northwest Ethiopia. In order to achieve optimal growth, development and health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Nutrition Programme (NNP) of Ethiopia recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, which means that infants should receive only breast milk except prescribed medications, vitamins, and minerals [1, 2]. The Government of Ethiopia strives to address under-nutrition through the Lifecycle Approach which includes ensuring that newborns are breastfed within one hour of birth and that exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) continue for the first six months, followed by adequate complementary feeding [2]. On the contrary the prevalence of EBF was higher in developing countries than in developed ones, 49% in Timor, Asia, and 35.4% in Korea [8, 9]
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