BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES AND DETERMINANTS OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING AMONG MOTHERS ATTENDING HEALTH FACILITIES IN AMURIA DISTRICT, UGANDA

ABSTRACT

Background: Breast milk contains all the nutrients required by infants in the first 6 months of life for good health and development. Breastfeeding therefore, is an important public health strategy for reducing maternal, infant and child morbidity and mortality (Jones, 2013; Kramer, 2012). Good breastfeeding practices especially exclusive breastfeeding can prevent under five deaths in developing countries (WHO and UNICEF. (2013)).

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of breastfeeding practices and the determinants exclusive breastfeeding among mothers attending health facilities in Amuria. Methods: The study design was descriptive cross-sectional. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect the data of this study. The study health facilities and the participants were selected by simple random sampling technique. Seven health facilities were sampled while 370 lactating mothers of children of age 0- 24 months were sampled from these health facilities as participants of study.

Results: The prevalence of EBF among the lactating mothers attending health facilities in Amuria district was 37.30% and initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth among the mothers was found to be 47.57%. Mothers who rated their milk production for the child as average have meal frequency during the first six months was three time daily, with high appetite during the first six months and mothers who delivered in a health facility had the higher likelihood of practicing exclusive breastfeeding. The child‘s gender, birth weight and appetite significantly influenced the exclusive breastfeeding practices of lactating mothers.