Only half of the mothers practiced early initiation of breastfeeding in Northwest Ethiopia, 2015.

BACKGROUND: Early initiation of breastfeeding has been well-recognized in reducing neonatal mortality; however, it remains sub-optimal in Ethiopia. This study therefore assessed the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding and associated factors among mothers with children aged 6-24 months in Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site, northwest Ethiopia, where literature on the issue is markedly scarce.

METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out from May to June, 2015, at Dabat HDSS site, Dabat District. Eight hundred twenty-two mother-child pairs were included in the study. A multivariable logistic regression model was employed to identify factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding.

RESULTS: This study demonstrated that the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was 53.3%. Institutional delivery (AOR = 4.9; 95% CI 3.2, 7.4), higher Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) knowledge (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.6, 3.3), higher wealth status (AOR = 4.1, 95% CI 2.8, 6.0) and low fathers' education (AOR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.2, 0.6) were significantly associated with early initiation of breastfeeding in the multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION: In summary, the coverage of early initiation of breastfeeding in Dabat HDSS site was low, considerably below the national target. Therefore, efforts should be intensified to step-up early initiation of breastfeeding by focusing on the identified determinants.