Abstract:
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has been promoted in the country since early 1990s; however the practice of EBF in many communities is still low especially in rural areas. Sub-optimal breastfeeding practices are an important factor contributing to malnutrition. This study aimed at assessing EBF practices and associated factors among mothers with infants aged 0-6 months living in the district. A cross-sectional study was carried out in July 2008. Data were collected through face to face interviews of 284 lactating mothers with infants aged 0-6 months using a structured questionnaire. Participants were selected using multistage sampling procedure. Findings revealed that (281) 98.9% of the interviewed mothers were breastfeeding their babies and only 18.1 % of infants were EBF. Sub-optimal breastfeeding practices are still persisting, use of pre-lacteal feeds, discarding of yellowish milk, delayed in initiation of breastfeeding and early
complementation. Marital status, occupation, mother's level of knowledge on EBF and information provided to the mothers was significantly associated with EBF. Binary logistic regression demonstrated that formally employed mothers were more than three times more likely to practice EBF than housewives (OR = 3.9; 95% CI :1.3-12.3). It was also found that mothers who were supported with any breastfeeding information were almost three times likely to practice EBF as compared to those who did not (OR = 3.3; 95% CI:.6-6.6). Promotion of EBF practices should based on raise of knowledge on EBF, provision of educational materials and appropriate training on breastfeeding to the health workers as well as initiation of community-based breastfeeding support groups.
