Breastfeeding practice and associated factors among infants 1-11 months born to HIV positive mothers attending postnatal care at Nsambya Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Breastfeeding practice significantly reduces the risk of malnutrition and infectious diseases especially in the first year of life. Although the HIV pandemic has hindered breastfeeding, WHO recommends it for the poor resource countries and Uganda implemented the recommendations. This study sought to determine the breastfeeding practice and associated factors among infants1-11months born to HIV positive mothers attending a postnatal clinic at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya. Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted among HIV positive women attending postnatal care at Nsambya Hospital having exposed infants aged (1-11 months). Systematic sampling was used to recruit 138 mothers. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used indata collection on breastfeeding, and factors associated with the feeding. Data was entered into Epi data 3.0 and analyzed using STATA 12. Bi-variable analysis was used to assess for significant factors associated with breastfeeding. Factors that were significant at bi variable level and other known predictors of the outcome (education and socio-economic status) from literature were fed into a multivariable model using modified Poisson regression analysis to adjust for confounding. Results: A total of 138 HIV positive mothers were included in the study. Most of the mothers,122(88.4%) chose to breastfeed their infants. Most mothers (79%) knew all the three recommended stages of breastfeeding practice in HIV, 13% knew only one stage and a few (8%) didn’t have any knowledge about the breastfeeding practice. xi Having knowledge about all the three stages of breastfeeding practice (adjusted prevalence ratio1.371, P-value 0.039) and mother having other HIV positive children (adjusted prevalence ratio 0.802, P-value 0.044) were associated with the breastfeeding practice. Conclusion: Most (85.24%) of the respondents did the breastfeeding practice recommended by WHO and MOH in HIV. Mothers that knew all the three recommended stages of breastfeeding practice were more likely to breastfeed. Mothers who had HIV positive children were less likely to do the breastfeeding practice.