Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Apr 8:11:217.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-217.

Determinants of timely initiation of breastfeeding among mothers in Goba Woreda, South East Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

Tesfaye Setegn  1 , Mulusew Gerbaba, Tefera Belachew
Affiliations

Determinants of timely initiation of breastfeeding among mothers in Goba Woreda, South East Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

Tesfaye Setegn et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Although breastfeeding is universal in Ethiopia, ranges of regional differences in timely initiation of breastfeeding have been documented. Initiation of breastfeeding is highly bound to cultural factors that may either enhance or inhibit the optimal practices. The government of Ethiopia developed National Infant and Young Child Feeding Guideline in 2004 and behavior change communications on breast feeding have been going on since then. However, there is a little information on the practice of timely initiation of breast feeding and factors that predict these practices after the implementation of the national guideline. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and determinant factors of timely initiation of breastfeeding among mothers in Bale Goba District, South East Ethiopia.

Methods: A community based cross sectional study was carried out from February to March 2010 using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A total of 608 mother infant pairs were selected using simple random sampling method and key informants for the in-depth interview were selected conveniently. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with timely initiation of breast feeding.

Results: The prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding was 52.4%. Bivariate analysis showed that attendance of formal education, being urban resident, institutional delivery and postnatal counseling on breast feeding were significantly associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding (P < 0.05). After adjust sting for other factors on the multivariable logistic model, being in the urban area [AOR: 4.1 (95%C.I: 2.31-7.30)] and getting postnatal counseling [AOR: 2.7(1.86-3.94)] were independent predictors of timely initiation of breastfeeding.

Conclusions: The practice of timely initiation of breast feeding is low as nearly half the mothers did not start breastfeeding with one hour after delivery. The results suggest that breast feeding behavior change communication especially during the post natal period is critical in promoting optimal practice in the initiation of breast feeding. Rural mothers need special attention as they are distant from various information sources.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of mothers by the time at which they initiated breastfeeding in Goba Woreda, South East Ethiopia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of breastfeeding initiation by place of residence in Goba Woreda, South East Ethiopia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. World Health Organization; Geneva; 2003.
    1. World Health Organization (WHO) Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) Model Chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals. WHO; 2009. - PubMed
    1. Sokol E, Aguayo V, Clark D. Protecting Breastfeeding in West and Central Africa: 25 Years Implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes. UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa; 2007. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization (WHO) The optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding: Report of an expert consultation. Department of nutrition for health and development and department of child and adolescent health and development. Geneva, Switzerland; 2001.
    1. Koosha A, Hashemifesharaki R, Mousavinasab N. Breast-feeding patterns and factors determining exclusive breast-feeding. Singapore Med J. 2008;49(12):1002–006. - PubMed

Publication types