Abstract
BackgroundAlthough infant and young child feeding practices play an important role, children in Ethiopia suffer from poor infant and young child feeding. To date, there is a limited study which addresses factors that influence infant and young child feeding practices. The aim of the study was to determine the predictors of infant and young child feeding practices in Gibe District, Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was employed on 418 randomly selected mothers with children under the age of 24 months from March 13 to April 13, 2017. The pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Multiple logistic regressions were applied to determine the predictors of infant and young child feeding practices.ResultsA total of 284 (67.9%) infant and young child suffered from the sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices. The husband being a government employee [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.08 (1.65, 10.04)], lower household income [(AOR) = 3.11 (1.36, 7.07)], not attending antenatal care (AOR = 2.03 (1.22, 3.36)], child age 0–5 months [AOR = 2.42 (1.02, 5.72)], negative attitude towards infant and young child feeding practices [AOR = 2.35 (1.44, 3.84)], and the number of children 3–4 [AOR = 1.99 (1.08, 3.64)] were predictors of the sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices.ConclusionSub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices were very high as compared to the WHO infant and child feeding recommendation. The husband being a government employee, lower household income, not attending antenatal care, child age 0–5 months, negative attitude towards infant and young child feeding practices, and the number of children 3–4 were the predictors of the sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices. Nutritional interventions should emphasize the predictors of sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices to improve optimal infant and young child feeding practices in Ethiopia.
Highlights
The infant and young child feeding is a cornerstone of care for childhood development
WHO and UNICEF’s recommendations for optimal infant and young child feeding are early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 h of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, and nutritionally adequate and safe complementary feeding starting from the age of 6 months with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond [1, 3, 4]
The aim of the study was to determine the predictors of infant and young child feeding practices in Gibe District, Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia
Summary
The infant and young child feeding is a cornerstone of care for childhood development. The first 2 years of life provide a critical window of opportunity for ensuring children’s appropriate growth and development of children from generation to generation. WHO and UNICEF’s recommendations for optimal infant and young child feeding are early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 h of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, and nutritionally adequate and safe complementary feeding starting from the age of 6 months with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond [1, 3, 4]. There is a limited study which addresses factors that influence infant and young child feeding practices. The aim of the study was to determine the predictors of infant and young child feeding practices in Gibe District, Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia
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