PREVALENCE OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN 0-6 MONTHS ATTENDING HOSPITALS IN HARGEISA CITY, SOMALILAND.

Abstract

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding breast milk only, for the first six months, only 40% of children worldwide exclusively breastfed which is far from the recommendation, while in Africa only 37% of infants were exclusively breastfed. In Somaliland the Demographic health survey showed that only 30% exclusively breastfed among infants aged 0–6 months. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, however, exclusive breastfeeding practice in Somaliland is not well practiced and previous studies had omitted some of the determinant factors such as mothers' attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding, so the aim of this study is to assess the extent of exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among mothers attending a selected hospitals in Hargeisa city, Somaliland from January 2025 to March 2025. Objective: To assess the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors among mothers attending a selected hospitals in Hargeisa city, Somaliland from January 2025 to March 2025. Method: A facility -based cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 randomly selected mothers with children who are less than 6 months attending in a selected Hospitals in Hargeisa City, Somaliland. Data was collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1.1 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Bivariable analysis identified variables for multivariable analysis, which controlled for potential confounding factors. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the association between predictors and outcome variable. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, and results are presented in tables. The level of statistical significance was declared at P-value < 0.05 and the result was presented as tables. Result: The overall prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in this study was 54%, Having ANC visit (AOR=2, 95% CI: 1.37-3.29), normal delivery (AOR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.05-2.52), frequency of breastfeeding (AOR =6.6, 95% CI: 4.24 – 10.18) family support (AOR= 1.62(1.07-2.44), good knowledge (AOR= 2.46, 95% CI 1.58-3.83) , positive attitude ( AOR= 3.0 (2.13, 4.21) were more likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding. initiation of breastfeeding, after hours (AOR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.27-0.69), after days: (AOR: 0.30, 95% CI: (0.16-0.54), were less likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding Conclusion: The prevalence of this study of exclusive breastfeeding was 54%, The prevalence of this area is moderate according to the World Health Organization guideline. initiation of breastfeeding, frequency of breastfeeding, ANC Visit, mode of delivery, family support, good knowledge and positive attitude was statistically significant with exclusive breastfeeding in the multivariable analysis. It recommended to the health institutions, healthcare workers and other concerned parties to enhance Antenatal and postnatal care by developing and implementing programs that educate mothers on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.