Infant and Young Child Feeding Practice and Associated Factors among 0-23 Old Months of Children in Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Areas of Dangila District, North West of Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Infant and young child feeding practice is a cornerstone of care for child development both mentally and physically. Failure to implement proper infant and young child feeding practices is associated with an increased risk of childhood morbidity and mortality. Objective: To assess the prevalence of infant and young child feeding practices among 0-23 months-old children in irrigated and non-irrigated areas of Dangila Woreda, North-west Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from Dec 1, 2020 to Jun 1, 2021 with a total of 823 mothers who have infants and young children 0-23 months of age in 9 selected Keebles. A stratified sampling technique was implemented to select irrigated and nonirrigated kebeles and study units. Data was collected by the face-to-face interview method. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were used. Variables with p 0.05 were taken as statistically significant and independently associated with infant and young child feeding practice. An adjusted odds ratio, along with a 95% confidence interval, was used to assess the strength of the association. Result: Among 823 households visited, 802 participants gave complete responses, a response rate of 97.4%. The overall prevalence of infant and young child feeding practice was 62.56%. Of these, 72.8% (95%CI: 67.5%, 76.1%) from irrigated and 52.2% (95%CI: 47.8%, 57.4%) from non-irrigated areas had good practice of IYCF. Moreover, the study identified that ANC (AOR = 2.138, 95% CI: 1.085, 4.210), knowledge (AOR = 2.43, 95% CI: 0.275, 0.612), attitude (AOR = 1.687, 95% CI: 1.129, 2.520), PNC (AOR = 1.606, 95% CI: 1.154, 2.360) and women’s decision making (AOR = 1.941, 95% CI: 1.305, 2.888) were significant predictors for IYCF among 0-23-months of age children. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of infant and young child feeding practice in the study area was 62.5 percent, with significant differences between irrigated and non-irrigated areas. Infant and young child feeding practices are high as compared to previous studies. Women’s decision making, ANC follow up, PNC follow up, attitude, and knowledge were identified as the intervention areas.