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Exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors among children aged 0-5 months in Sierra Leone: a multilevel

Alieu Tommy1,2, Augustus Osborne3, Ola Farid Jahanpour4

  • 1Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, P. R. China. alieuktommy15@gmail.com.

International Breastfeeding Journal
|April 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Exclusive breastfeeding in Sierra Leone is suboptimal at 54.1%. Rates decline with infant age and skilled birth attendance, but are higher in rural areas, indicating a need for targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Demography

Background:

  • Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is vital for infant and maternal health.
  • Sierra Leone faces challenges in achieving optimal EBF rates despite national promotion efforts.
  • Understanding influencing factors is key to improving EBF practices for infants aged 0-5 months.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine sociodemographic and healthcare-related factors associated with EBF in Sierra Leone.
  • To identify specific subgroups and contexts where EBF is suboptimal.
  • To inform the development of targeted interventions to increase EBF prevalence.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey.
  • Employed mixed-effect multilevel binary logistic regression models.
  • Presented findings using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of EBF among infants aged 0-5 months was 54.1%.
  • EBF odds decreased significantly with infant age (2-3 months and 4-5 months) and maternal history of skilled birth attendance.
  • Mothers in rural areas exhibited higher odds of practicing EBF compared to urban counterparts.

Conclusions:

  • Targeted interventions are crucial for infants aged 2-5 months and those whose mothers received skilled birth attendance.
  • Enhanced postnatal care and education are needed to support breastfeeding mothers.
  • Culturally sensitive, community-based strategies informed by rural practices may address urban EBF challenges.
Abstract

Keywords:
Exclusive breastfeedingHealthcare utilizationInfant and young child feedingSierra LeoneSociodemographic factors

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