Prevalence and factors associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding with in the first 6 months among mothers of infants aged 6-12 months in Kinawataka slum, Nakawa division, Kampala district

Abstract

Introduction: Breastfeeding provides ideal nourishment for proper infant growth and development and has a unique biological and emotional influence on the health of both mother and child. Despite the known benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to both the infant and the mother, a proportion of mothers do not exclusively breastfeed their infants within the first six months after birth. The study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding within the first 6 months among mothers of infants aged 6-12 months in Kinawataka slum, Nakawa Division, Kampala District. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was used. Out of 362 mothers of infants aged 6-12 months who were randomly sampled, 351 mothers were interviewed through face-to-face interviews. The pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection by trained interviewers. Data entry was done using Microsoft Excel (2011). STATA 14 was used for data analysis. At univariate analysis, data were presented in percentages, frequencies, pie charts and graphs to describe the characteristics of respondents. For bivariate analysis, the prevalence ratio was used to test for crude association between independent and dependent variables. Variables that showed statistical significance (P<0.05) at bivariate analysis were adjusted for PR at multivariate logistic regression analysis to analyze the strength of association between variables and control cofounding. Results: The prevalence of non-exclusive breastfeeding was 22.2%. About 64% of the mothers had a high level of knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding, 83.5% had a positive attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding and almost all, 99.7% agreed that it is good to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months. The factors associated with non-exclusive breastfeeding included: maternal age 30 years and above (APR=2.83; 95%CI: 1.05-7.57), family income of > 600,000 (APR=1.95; 95%CI: 0.99-3.82), lack of partner support (APR=0.48; 95%CI: 0.25-0.92) and home delivery (APR=1.91; 95%CI: 1.11-3.26). Conclusion: Mothers should be encouraged to deliver at health facilities where they learn about the benefits of early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding to infants below 6 months hence enabling them to make informed decisions about exclusive breastfeeding. In addition, the government through the ministry of Health should put in place programs to educate husbands on the importance of exclusively breastfeeding their infants so that they are supportive of their partners.