Abstract
Background The health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding practices in both short and long term go beyond the breastfed infant. The benefits of exclusive breastfeeding practices accrue to mothers, families and the society at large. Despite the evidence of these benefits and adoption of various WHO strategies on promotion of exclusive breastfeeding by Ghana, the increase in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding has been very slow in the country. This study aimed to estimate the rate and investigate socioeconomic and demographic determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in two rural districts in Southern Ghana.
Methods Pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, demographic and socioeconomic information of 1,870 women prospectively registered by the Dodowa Health and Demographic Surveillance System and gave birth between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013 was extracted. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding among the study participants was estimated and the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables were explored using logistics regression model at 95% confidence level. All data analyses were done in STATA version 14.2.
Results The overall exclusive breastfeeding rate in the study is 70.96 %. Mothers aged 25-29 and 30+ years are 93 and 91 % respectively more likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared to those aged <20 years (OR:1.93, 95%CI: 1.25-2.99, OR: 1.91, 95%CI: 1.91-3.08). The odds of artisans practicing exclusive breast feeding is 64% less likely compared to those unemployed (OR: 0.64, 95%CI:0.43-0.96). There is a high chance that 45% of mothers with a household size of more than five members to practice exclusive breastfeeding compared to those with household size of less than six (OR:1.45, 95%CI:1.16-1.81). There is reduced odds of 15% for women in fishing districts compared to those from farming districts (OR:0.15, 95%CI: 0.12 −0.20).
Conclusion There is high rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the study area. Maternal age, type of occupation, household size and district of residence are determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among the study participants.