Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice with Associated Factors among Mothers in Iringa and Njombe Regions in Tanzania

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding practice is recognized as an effective nutrition intervention to prevent childhood morbidity and mortality. Regardless of the well-documented advantages of exclusive breastfeeding, millions of infants are missing this potentially life-saving initiative.  Limited research data exists on factors influencing mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding.  Aims: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding with associated factors among mothers with children aged below 6 months in the Iringa and Njombe regions Study Design: This was a cross-section study conducted among mothers with children aged below 6 months. Methodology: The standard questionnaire was used to collect information regarding exclusive breastfeeding practice among selected mothers. The descriptive statistics were done for the social and demographic characteristics of the study participants. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to predict the association of independent variables on the study outcome. The non-parametric statistical test was used and statistical significance was defined as a p-value of less than 0.02 in bivariate and less than 0.05 in multivariate analysis. Results: This study found 79% of mothers have exclusively breastfed their infants one day before the survey. The multivariate analysis found a significant association of exclusive breastfeeding practice with female children (AOR = 4.969, 95% CI = 1.691–14.608, p <0.05) and mother’s education (AOR = 0.091, 95% CI = 0.1 – 0.815, p <0.05).  Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding is crucial to ensure the proper growth and development of infants to their fullest potential. Therefore, multiple efforts are encouraged to ensure mothers adhere to exclusive breastfeeding and all infants are guaranteed to benefit from it.