The Prevalence of Exclusive Breast Feeding and Associated Factors Among Mothers of Less than Two Years Children in Kurkur Kebele, Dessie Town

Abstract

Breast milk is the one and only natural, complete and complex nutrition for human infants. It is superior to any product given to a baby. It is immediately available, fresh, constant, and economical. It provides all infants nutritional and fluid needs in the first six months and is a perfect combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrate and fluids. Nutrients such as vitamins A and C, iron, zinc and vitamin D are more easily absorbed from breast milk than from other milk. And it contains essential fatty acids needed for the infant’s growing brain, eyes, and blood vessels and these are not available in other milks. The aim of the this study is to assess prevalence of exclusive breast feeding and factors associated with it among mothers with children of less than 2 years old in Dessie town, South Wollo, Ethiopia, 2016. The community based quantitative cross-sectional study was carried out. From the total mothers who had ever breastfed their infant 332, about 326 (98.2%) of them were breastfeeding at the time of the survey. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for the children in the study area was 49.7%. From the study subjects 296(89.2%) had previous experience of breast feeding practice, among them 78 (26.4%) had exclusive breast feeding practice. 236 (72.4) children were given food items. As to the given items, 236(100 %), 82 (34.7%), 34 (14.4%), 158 (66.9%), 209 (88.6) and 142 (60.2%) children were given plain water, juice, infant formula, animal milk, solid foods and other fluids respectively. From the total respondents 1(0.3%) had given water before initiation of breast feeding and 6 (1.8%) had stopped breast feeding at the time of survey and all stopped after one year of age of the child. In this study, the duration of exclusive breastfeeding was below the World Health Organization and national infant and young child feeding recommendations.