Infant and Young Child Feeding Practice in Ethiopia and the Cost of Not Breastfeeding: Review

Abstract

The cornerstone of baby and young child survival, healthy growth and development, healthy future generations, and national development is infancy and young child feeding (IYCF). Inappropriate feeding practices in infants and early children, as well as their repercussions, are substantial roadblocks to longterm socioeconomic development and poverty reduction, with acute and chronic health effects for individuals. Breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby’s life is the safest and healthiest method for feeding. Articles were searched and accessed using key terms, like “Infant feeding practice”, “Exclusive feeding”, “Non-exclusive feeding”, “Formula feeding Practice”, “Cost of not breast feeding”, “Economic benefit of breast feeding”. 38 published articles, 7 global standards and guidelines, 4 EDHS result reports and one website were included in this review. From 2000 to 2016, the percentage of mothers who started nursing within one hour climbed from 51% to 73 percent, while the number of mothers who exclusively breastfed increased from 2000 to 2016. Child malnutrition is caused by a lack of effective breast feeding and complementary feeding, and many nations throughout the world are seeing a dramatic increase in the prevalence of malnutrition, resulting in the triple burden of malnutrition. In Ethiopia, inadequate breastfeeding causes 14,000 unnecessary child deaths, 5 million instances of diarrhea and pneumonia, $190 million in household costs, and $2 million in health-care costs. Artificial feeding can cost up to $1,200 per year for powdered formula, which is four times the expense of breastfeeding, which costs about $300 per year for additional food for a lactating mom. Parental literacy, delivery in the health Institutions, spontaneous vaginal delivery, higher number of ANC visits, PNC attendance, maternal counseling during pregnancy and child sex being female are some factors among positively associated with exclusive breast feeding, whereas, full-time employment of mothers, urban residency, high weight of baby, caesarean-delivery, low wealth index, younger maternal age and child sex being male are few to mention among negatively associated factors with exclusive breast feeding.