Journal of Nutrition Science Research
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  • Research Article   
  • J Nutr Sci Res,

Determinants of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice in Southern Ethiopia

Birkinesh Ermancho1*, Abate Lette2, Tilahun Ermeko2 and Abraham Tamirat3
1Developmental Planning and Budget Preparation, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback Core Work Process Coordinator, Anlemo District Health Office, Ethiopia
2Department of Public Health, Goba Referral Hospital, Madda Walabu University, Bale Goba, Ethiopia
3Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
*Corresponding Author : Birkinesh Ermancho, Developmental Planning and Budget Preparation, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Feedback Core Work Process Coordinator, Anlemo District Health Office, Ethiopia, Tel: 251909648032, Email: tilahunjimma2008@gmail.com

Abstract

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life followed by optimal complementary feeding are critical public health measures for reducing and preventing morbidity and mortality in young children since breastfeeding supports infants’ immune systems and helps protect them from chronic illnesses later in life. However, rate of exclusive breastfeeding practice is very low especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the practice of mothers towards exclusive breastfeeding and identifying determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers with index infant to six months. A community based cross sectional study design was carried out from august to September, 2017. Face to face interview was conducted using pretested and structured questioner to collect data from mothers of index infant from 0 to 6 months of age. Forty five key informants were selected purposively from range of backgrounds for in-depth interview on exclusive breastfeeding knowledge, perceptions and practices. The data was entered to Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 for analysis. A total of 591 respondents participated in the survey. Only 88 (14.9%) of infants were exclusively breastfed. The majority 344 (58.2%) of the respondents hadn’t sufficient knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding, and only 222 (37.6%) of participants had positive attitude to exclusive breastfeeding. Initiation of breastfeeding within an hour after delivery was practiced by only a few mothers 194 (32.8%). Prelacteal feeds were given to above half of the infants 314 (53.1%). Sufficient knowledge and positive attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding, antenatal care ≥ 4 attendance, infant’s age (0-60 days), early initiation of breast feeding, and avoiding traditional prelacteal feeds can significantly raise the odds of exclusive breastfeeding practice.

Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Infants’ health, Initiation time, Mothers, Prelacteal feeds, Knowledge, Attitude and practice

Citation: Ermancho B, Lette A, Ermeko T, Tamirat A (2021) Determinants of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice in Southern Ethiopia. J Nutr Sci Res 6: 135.

Copyright: © 2021 Ermancho B, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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