Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Bottle Feeding Practices in Infants Under Two Years of Age: A hospital-based study in Woldia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Bottle feeding should be avoided when possible in infants under the age of two to improve health outcomes. The magnitude of bottle feeding practice is currently increasing in Ethiopia, however factors associated with bottle feeding usage are rarely addressed in research. We aimed to fill this gap and assess the magnitude of bottle feeding and its association with sociodemographic factors among infants in Woldia, Ethiopia in 2019.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Woldia General Hospital at the Immunization Clinic. A total of 255 mothers who had infants were selected by systematic random sampling method. Data was collected through face-to-face interview using a structured standardized questionnaire. The data was entered to EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression analysis models were used to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. Variables with p-value < 0.2 in bivariable logistic regression analysis were entered to multivariable logistic regression analysis. Finally, variables with p-value < 0.05 with 95% CI in multivariable logistic regression were taken as independent predictors. COR and AOR were used to show the strength of association between the dependent and independent variables.Results: The rate of bottle feeding practice in this study was 42.7% (95%CI: 35.8,48.2). Being an infant age 0-5 months old [AOR=0.16; 95%CI: 0.06,0.4], being a mother age 35-50 years old [AOR=0.43; 95%CI: 0.22, 0.85], having 2-5 children [AOR=6.37; 95%CI: 1.33, 30.44], and being a farmer as reported mother’s occupation [AOR=2.72; 95%CI: 1.30, 5.67] showed significant association with bottle feeding practice.Conclusion: The magnitude of bottle feeding practice was significantly higher in the current study as compared to national prevalence. Several sociodemographic factors showed significant association with bottle feeding practice which need to be explored further in the future research.

Spatial distribution and determinants of bottle feeding among children 0-23 months in Ethiopia: spatial and multi-level analysis based on 2016 EDHS

“…This is in line with a study conducted in Ghana [14]. But lower than a study conducted in Indonesia [34], Pakistan [35], Eastern Sudan [36], and studies conducted in different districts of Ethiopia [2,15,37]. This difference might be due to the variations in socio-cultural aspects of the study participants regarding child feeding practices.…”

“…According to this study, as the age of the child increase, the chance of having bottle feeding increases. This is supported by a study conducted in Woldia Ethiopia [37], Holeta central Ethiopia [2], Namibia [13], Indonesia [34] which showed that children aged 6-23 months were more likely to use bottle feeding as compared to children aged 0-5 months. This is because, as child get older, they may have more feeding options, such as consumption of water, tea, and processed milk which may lead to a higher rate of bottle feeding On the other hand, children who are found aged 0-5 months had no well-matured gastrointestinal systems then bottle feeding during this age may be associated with problems in digestion and absorption, which eventually lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and infections.…”

“…This is because, as child get older, they may have more feeding options, such as consumption of water, tea, and processed milk which may lead to a higher rate of bottle feeding On the other hand, children who are found aged 0-5 months had no well-matured gastrointestinal systems then bottle feeding during this age may be associated with problems in digestion and absorption, which eventually lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and infections. Then mothers who had such previous experience, may not start bottle feeding their child at an early age [37].…”

Multilevel modeling analysis of bottle feeding and its determinants among children 0–23 months in East Africa: evidence from recent DHS data (2015–2022)

“…Similarly, regarding the number of living children, the search results offer data on the prevalence of and factors associated with bottle feeding practices with infants under the age of two. It was discovered that having 2–5 children was substantially connected with bottle feeding practice [ 30 ]. This may be related to older mothers and the resource shortage mentioned in the previous sections.…”

“…This is due to the fact that as children grow older, they may have more feeding options, such as drinking water, tea, and processed milk, which may result in a higher rate of bottle feeding [ 26 ]. Mothers with such prior experience may be less likely to start bottle feeding their child at a young age [ 30 ]. Women who are urban, educated, or empowered are more likely to attend health facilities while pregnant [ 31 ].…”