Assessment of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice and Associated Factors Among Lactating Mothers In Waberi Location, Garissa County
Abstract
Background: The importance of breastfeeding and infant nutrition has been acknowledged by the Kenyan government during the last ten years. Breastfeeding is acknowledged as the most natural way to nourish a baby. It's critical for moms to comprehend the variables influencing exclusive breastfeeding in order to be able to breastfeed for the full six months as advised. The main of the study was to assess exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among lactating mothers in the Waberi location, Garissa County.
Material and Methods: This study used an analytical cross-sectional approach. The Fischer exact formula was utilized to generate 124 study respondents for this study. Multistage sampling was employed in this study to recruit study respondents. The chi-square test was used for bivariate analysis, and binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. The cutoff for statistical significance was p≤0.05.
Results: More than a quarter(43.5%) of the study respondents reported practicing exclusive breastfeeding. From this study. being employed(OR=5.6,95%CI=0.07-0.41), the presence of social support(OR=2.8,95%CI=0.17-0.77), having a smaller family size(OR=2.5,95%CI=0.11-1.41), lactating mothers who sought ANC attendance(OR=2.3,95%CI=0.18-1.05), and having a secondary level of education(OR=3.5,95%CI=0.72-8.33) increased the odds of practicing exclusive breastfeeding while the presence of harmful cultural practices(OR=3.2,95%CI=1.46-6.86) reduced the odds of practicing exclusive breastfeeding.
Conclusion: From this study, poor exclusive breastfeeding practices was noted. In addition, being employed, the presence of social support, having a smaller family size, lactating mothers who sought ANC attendance, and having a secondary level of education increased the odds of practicing exclusive breastfeeding while the presence of harmful cultural practices reduced the odds of practicing exclusive breastfeeding.
