Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates and Associated Factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) Countries

Agho, Kingsley Emwinyore; Ezeh, Osita Kingsley; Ghimire, Pramesh Raj; Uchechukwu, Osuagwu Levi; Stevens, Garry John; Tannous, Wadad Kathy; Fleming, Catharine; Ogbo, Felix Akpojene; Global Maternal and Child Health Research collaboration (GloMACH),

doi:10.3390/nu11123007

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Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates and Associated Factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) Countries

Kingsley Emwinyore Agho

^1,2,*

Osita Kingsley Ezeh

Pramesh Raj Ghimire

Osuagwu Levi Uchechukwu

⁴,

^2,3,5

^1,2,3

^2,6

and Global Maternal and Child Health Research collaboration (GloMACH)^†

School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2571, Australia

Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown Campus, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2571, Australia

Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Translational Research Unit, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia

⁴

Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI), School of Social sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia

⁵

School of Business, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia

⁶

General Practice Unit, Prescot Specialist Medical Centre, Welfare Quarters, Makurdi, Benue State 972261, Nigeria

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Members are listed at the end of Acknowledgments.

Nutrients 2019, 11(12), 3007; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11123007

Received: 19 September 2019 / Revised: 22 November 2019 / Accepted: 29 November 2019 / Published: 9 December 2019

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breastfeeding: Short and Long-Term Benefits to Baby and Mother)

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Abstract

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has important protective effects on child survival and also increases the growth and development of infants. This paper examined EBF rates and associated factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) countries. A weighted sample of 19,735 infants from the recent Demographic and Health Survey dataset in ECOWAS countries for the period of 2010–2018 was used. Survey logistic regression analyses that adjusted for clustering and sampling weights were used to determine the factors associated with EBF. In ECOWAS countries, EBF rates for infants 6 months or younger ranged from 13.0% in Côte d’Ivoire to 58.0% in Togo. EBF decreased significantly by 33% as the infant age (in months) increased. Multivariate analyses revealed that mothers with at least primary education, older mothers (35–49 years), and those who lived in rural areas were significantly more likely to engage in EBF. Mothers who made four or more antenatal visits (ANC) were significantly more likely to exclusively breastfeed their babies compared to those who had no ANC visits. Our study shows that EBF rates are still suboptimal in most ECOWAS countries. EBF policy interventions in ECOWAS countries should target mothers with no schooling and those who do not attend ANC. Higher rates of EBF are likely to decrease the burden of infant morbidity and mortality in ECOWAS countries due to non-exposure to contaminated water or other liquids. View Full-Text

Keywords: breastfeeding; Africa; antenatal care; infants; ECOWAS; mortality

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Agho, K.E.; Ezeh, O.K.; Ghimire, P.R.; Uchechukwu, O.L.; Stevens, G.J.; Tannous, W.K.; Fleming, C.; Ogbo, F.A.; Global Maternal and Child Health Research collaboration. Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates and Associated Factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) Countries. Nutrients 2019, 11, 3007. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11123007

AMA Style

Agho KE, Ezeh OK, Ghimire PR, Uchechukwu OL, Stevens GJ, Tannous WK, Fleming C, Ogbo FA, Global Maternal and Child Health Research collaboration. Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates and Associated Factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) Countries. Nutrients. 2019; 11(12):3007. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11123007

Chicago/Turabian Style

Agho, Kingsley E., Osita K. Ezeh, Pramesh R. Ghimire, Osuagwu L. Uchechukwu, Garry J. Stevens, Wadad K. Tannous, Catharine Fleming, Felix A. Ogbo, and Global Maternal and Child Health Research collaboration. 2019. "Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates and Associated Factors in 13 “Economic Community of West African States” (ECOWAS) Countries" Nutrients 11, no. 12: 3007. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11123007

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