article · PLoS ONE
Exclusive breastfeeding rates and determinants among mothers in Ethiopia were evaluated using data from 1,066 mothers in the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey. Overall, 58 percent of infants under six months were exclusively breastfed. Higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding were linked to maternal age between 25 and 34 years, marital status, health facility access, and media exposure. Both maternal and paternal education at secondary level or higher positively influenced the practice. Conversely, mothers living in rural areas, wealthier households, and those with infants aged four to five months or three to four living children demonstrated lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding. Significant regional variations were also observed across the country. Addressing these socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic factors through community-based education and targeted policy interventions is advised to improve infant feeding practices.
Exclusive breastfeeding provides crucial nutrients and immunological defence to reduce infant morbidity and mortality. Identifying the specific demographic, socioeconomic, and regional obstacles that prevent mothers from sustaining this practice enables health authorities to design targeted community education initiatives. Improving these feeding practices helps secure better child health, physical growth, and cognitive development across diverse populations.
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BACKGROUND: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is the most cost-effective intervention to reduce infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is crucial since human milk contains nutrients, living cells, and defensive factors which enable infants to have better immunity, physical and mental development. Therefore, this study aimed at identifying the predictors of exclusive breastfeeding practices among mothers in Ethiopia using Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016 data. METHODS: EDHS 2016 data were used for the analysis. A total of 1,066 mothers were included in the analysis. The binary logistic regression model was used to identify the determinants of EBF practice among mothers. The result presented using adjusted odd ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The prevalence of EBF was 58% of infants under age 6 months. Mothers age 25-34 (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.31-2.32), child age 4-5 months (AOR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.66-0.84), married marital status (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI 1.06-1.50), mothers attained secondary education or higher (AOR = 2.00; 95% CI 1.54-2.58), husband attained secondary education or higher (AOR = 1.70; 1.39-2.13), richer wealth index (AOR = 0.35; 95% CI 0.18-0.69), accessed to the media (AOR = 1.77; 95% CI 1.38-2.27), number of living children 3-4 (AOR = 0.49; 95% CI 0.25-0.95), health facility (AOR = 1.87; 95% CI 1.09-3.20), rural residence (AOR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.49-0.89) and mothers living in Afar (AOR = 100.2; 95% CI 15.68-640.61), Somali (AOR = 52.65; 95% CI 8.48-326.77), SNNPR (AOR = 6.94; 95% CI 1.05-45.79), Harari (AOR = 61.94; 95% CI 9.75-393.44), Addis Ababa (AOR = 13.07; 95% CI 2.06-82.99), and Dire Dawa (AOR = 28.91; 95% CI 4.38-190.86) were associated with EBF practice. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of exclusive breastfeeding remains low in Ethiopia. Therefore, the stakeholders should be taken into consideration those determinant factors identified in this study in policies and programmes to increase EBF practice among mothers. Moreover, designing and implementing specific strategies to enhance the rate of exclusive breastfeeding practices through community-based education is recommended.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281576
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