Assesssment Of Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Women Towards Exclusive Breast Feeding In Jimma Health Center, Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: - Breastfeeding is a natural gift that is very important for the fulfillment of natural necessity of new born. However, now a days, the practice of breastfeeding especially exclusive breast feeding (EBF)   up to six months is decreasing all over the world including the developing countries like Ethiopia despite its numerous advantages.  Maternal parity, age, educational level and total family income are some of the reasons incremented for the decline in breast feeding

Objective:  The present study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers towards EBF and factors influencing it.

Method: A cross- sectional study was employed in Jimma Health Center from July 14-29, 2016 by face to face interview and convenient sampling technique was used. Chi-square test was used for a test of association Result: A total of 384 mothers having of index child below two years of age were involved in the study.  The majority  of the mothers (92%) had good knowledge & positive attitude (77.34%), while only 217 (56.51%) of them practiced EBF up to 6 months. Majority of study participants gave plain water in addition to breast milk in the first 6 months. Regarding early initiation of breastfeeding, 83.59% of study participants initiated breast milk, nearly more than half of them (55%) were knowledgeable and 76.82% had positive attitude towards early initiation of breast feeding. The study finding also showed 46 (11.98%) of mothers practiced prelacteal feed and the commonest prelacteal feed was butter

Conclusion: Even though the study participants had good knowledge and positive attitude towards EBF, only nearly greater than half of them practiced EBF up to 6 months. Majority of mothers had Antenatal care (ANC) follow up during their last pregnancy, but only a few of them heard about EBF during the follow up.

Recommendation; Recommended bodies; Jimma Health Center, Government and Non-Government organizations should provide health education on EBF to increase the practice of mothers.

Key words: Breast feeding, pre lacteal feeding, complimentary feeding, colostrum’s