Determinants of Cessation of Exclusive Breastfeedingin Ankesha Guagusa Woreda, Awi Zone, Northwest Ethiopia:Across-sectional study

BACKGROUND:-Exclusive breastfeeding is the practice of feeding only breast milk (including expressed breast milk) and no other liquids and solid foods except medications during the first six months. The time to cessation of... [ view full abstract ]

BACKGROUND:-Exclusive breastfeeding is the practice of feeding only breast milk (including expressed breast milk) and no other liquids and solid foods except medications during the first six months. The time to cessation of exclusive breastfeeding is different across countries of the world being dependent on different factors. Studies showed that the risk of diarrheal morbidity and mortality is higher among those who ceased exclusive breastfeeding. In Ethiopia, there is no study that evaluated the time to cessation of exclusive breastfeeding in the study area. The objective of this study was to determine cessation of exclusive breastfeeding and its determinants among mothers of index infants.
METHODS:Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 13 to March 3, 2012 in Ankesha Guagusa Woreda using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 592 mothers of index children were included in the study using multistage sampling method. Bivariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with cessation of exclusive breastfeeding.
RESULTS: - In this study, 392 (69.63%) events of cessation of EBF occurred. Among these, 224 (57.1%) events occurred before six months of age, while 145 (37.0%) and 23 (5.9%) occurred at 6 months and after 6 months of age of the index infant respectively. The median duration of EBF was 6.36 months in rural and 5.13 months in urban and this difference was statistically significant on Log rank (Cox-mantel) test.
Maternal and paternal occupational status, place of residence, postnatal counseling on EBF, mode of delivery, and birth order of the index infant were significant determinants of cessation of EBF.
CONCLUSION:- An effort that can ensure the implementation of national strategy on IYCF should be undertaken through provision of postnatal care counseling on EBF, routine follow up and support of those mothers having infants emphasizing for working mothers.