Determinants of given anything other than breast milk for neonates in Ethiopia: a multilevel modeling complex sample
Nigusie Selomon Tibebu1, Tigabu Desie Emiru2, Chalie Marew Tiruneh2
1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Po-Box: 272, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia. dtu@dtu.edu.et.
Insights
Prelacteal feeding, giving non-breast milk items to newborns, impacts exclusive breastfeeding rates. This study identified Catholic religion, timely breastfeeding initiation, Cesarean delivery, and pastoralist regions as key predictors in Ethiopia.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Maternal and Child Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Prelacteal feeding, defined as administering non-breast milk substances within the first three days postpartum, poses a significant challenge to optimal infant nutrition.
- This practice negatively affects the initiation and exclusivity of breastfeeding, particularly in developing nations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the individual and community-level determinants of prelacteal feeding practices among neonates in Ethiopia.
Main Methods:
- A multilevel, population-based, cross-sectional study utilizing data from the 2019 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey.
- A weighted sample of 24,252 participants was analyzed using multilevel modeling to account for data hierarchy.
- Statistical significance was determined using a p-value threshold of < 0.05 in multivariable analyses.
Main Results:
- Catholic religion affiliation was associated with lower odds of prelacteal feeding (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.05).
- Timely initiation of breastfeeding (AOR = 4.44) and Cesarean delivery (AOR = 3.94) were significantly associated with increased odds of prelacteal feeding.
- Living in pastoralist regions was a strong predictor, with higher odds of prelacteal feeding (AOR = 6.39).
Conclusions:
- Prelacteal feeding in Ethiopia is influenced by a complex interplay of individual characteristics (religion, delivery method, breastfeeding initiation) and community-level factors (region type).
- Strengthening maternal health services and promoting early and exclusive breastfeeding are crucial interventions.
- Equitable distribution of maternal health services across regions, with a specific focus on pastoralist areas, is recommended to reduce prelacteal feeding rates.
Background:
Giving any things other than breast milk during the first 3 days after birth is a prelacteal feeding. Thus, providing anything other than breast milk to newborns has an impact on the prompt initiation and exclusive breastfeeding but a major issue in the developing countries. Therefore, the aimed to assess the determinants both individual and community level factors of given anything other than breast milk for neonates in Ethiopia.
Methods:
This study was a multilevel population-based cross-sectional conducted with total of weighted sample of 24,252 participants. The Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2019 data were the source of secondary data analysis used in the study. The data was hierarchical; therefore we performed a multilevel analysis. In the multivariable analysis, variables with p-value < 0.05 were deemed substantially correlated with given anything other than breast milk for neonates.
Results:
In this study, respondents with Catholic religion followers [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.05; 95%CI: 0.12, 0.28] timely initiation of breast feeding [AOR = 4.44; 95%CI: 2.91, 6.74], Cesarean delivery usage [AOR = 3.94; 95%CI: 2.13, 7.13], and being in communities with pastoralist region [AOR = 6.39; 95%CI: 3.03, 11.62] were significant predictors of given anything other than breast milk for neonates.
Conclusion:
This study found that giving anything other than breast milk to newborns was associated with both individual and community level characteristics, particularly among members of the Catholic Church, prompt commencement of breastfeeding, use of cesarean section delivery, and contextual region categories. Therefore, improving maternal health and early breastfeeding services should be strengthen. Furthermore, it is preferable to fairly distribute maternal services among regions and to focus on people living in pastoralist regions.
More Related Videos
03:35Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography
Published on: December 1, 2023
09:02Breast Milk Enhances Growth of Enteroids: An Ex Vivo Model of Cell Proliferation
Published on: February 15, 2018
