IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF PRIMIPAROUS WOMEN IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, ON ACHIEVING OPTIMAL BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES

Improving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in children 0–23 months of age is critical to improved nutrition and development of children. Despite strong recommendations for optimal breastfeeding during the first six months, the practice remains lower than the desired targets globally. Socio-cultural and psychosocial factors, and mothers’ breastfeeding knowledge and attitude, challenge optimal IYCF practices. The study was conducted to assess the impact of breastfeeding knowledge and attitude on the primiparous women’s early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding practices during the first six months after delivery. A prospective follow-up health facility-based study design with quantitative methods was used. Both structured and semi-structured questions were used for data collection. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used for data management. Findings at the 95% confidence interval and P-value of 0.05 (5%) were reported as statistically significant. The majority of the respondents (86.5%) had no comprehensive breastfeeding knowledge. Meanwhile, over 60% of the respondents had a positive attitude to breastfeeding. Medium, positive and statistically significant correlation was observed between breastfeeding attitude and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practices (x2(1df) =2.082 (P<0.00)), as well as between early initiation of breastfeeding practices and EBF practices (x2(1df) =0.973 (p<0.05)). A positive breastfeeding attitude and early initiation of breastfeeding can predict EBF practices among primiparous women. Therefore, improving primiparous women’s breastfeeding attitude and early initiation of breastfeeding practices, as well as further qualitative research to document perceptions and cultural factors affecting the practices of EBF among primiparous women, are strongly recommended