No abstract

Background World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life. EBF has sustainable long-term health benefits for both infants and mothers. Despite its benefits, the practice of EBF in Ethiopia is lower than the internationally recommended one. This study aimed at identifying factors influencing EBF practice among under-6 month infants in Ethiopia. Methods This study used data drawn from the 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey (2019 EMDHS) data. A multivariable logistic regression model was employed to investigate factors significantly associated with EBF practice among under-6 month infants in Ethiopia. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure the association of factors with EBF practice. Results A total of 566 infants under the age of 6 months were included in the study. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice was 83% (95% CI: 79.70–86%). Urban residences (AOR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22–0.73), mothers having secondary education (AOR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.29–1.84) and higher education (AOR: 3.18, 95% CI: 0.68–15.02), mothers having ANC visits of 1 to 3 times (AOR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.24–1.88) and ANC visits of 4 and more times (AOR: 4.27, 95% CI: 1.06–17.25), family size of more than 5 (AOR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.26–0.88), caesarean births (AOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.42–0.95), and deliveries at health facilities (AOR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.12–5.63) were factors significantly associated with EBF practice among under-6 month infants. Conclusion In this study, EBF practice among under-6 month infants was significantly associated with place of residence, maternal educational level, ANC visits, family size, mode of delivery, and place of delivery. Therefore, encouraging ANC visit and promotion of institutional (health facility) delivery are recommended. Furthermore, special attention has to be given to mothers with no or less education to make them better aware of the EBF and its benefits to enhance exclusive breastfeeding practice.

Introduction: Infant mortality is one of the commonest health-related indicators used to assess the health status of the community. Children born in Sub-Saharan Africa are at highest risk of infancy death in the world. Ethiopia, in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a country with high infant mortality. Oromia region is among the regions with high infant mortality rate in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify determinants of infant mortality in Oromia region, Ethiopia. Methods: The source of data for this study was 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey. Multivariable logistic regression model was employed to identify the determinants the infant mortality. An adjusted odds ratio (OR) with a 95% CI was used examine the determinants of infant mortality. Results: A total of 719 live births born 5 years preceding the survey were included. The infant mortality rate in the study area was 54 deaths per 1000 live births. The risk of dying in infancy was lower for females [adjusted OR (AOR): 0.518, 95% CI: 0.284, 0.945], health deliveries (AOR: 0.429, 95% CI: 0.235, 0.783), infants born to mothers attended ANC during pregnancy (AOR: 0.603, 95% CI: 0.489, 0.744), infants from families with wealth indices of medium (AOR: 0.715, 95% CI: 0.580, 0.882) and rich (AOR: 0.638, 95% CI: 0.425, 0.958) compared with the respective reference categories while it was higher for infants of multiple births (AOR: 2.241, 95% CI: 1.768, 2.841) compared with singletons. Conclusions: Infant mortality rate in the study area, Oromia region, is higher than the national figure. The study found that sex of child, birth type, antenatal care (ANC), place of delivery and wealth index of household were significant determinants of infant mortality. Therefore, concerned bodies should make awareness creation to mothers regarding ANC and encourage them to have ANC follow-up during pregnancy and deliver at health institution to improve the infant survival in the region.

No abstract

Introduction: The rate of mortality during the perinatal period is higher than at any other time in a person’s life, making it the most vulnerable. This study aimed to examine regional heterogeneity and the determinants of perinatal mortality in Ethiopia. Methods: The data for this study was obtained from the 2019 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (2019 EMDHS) data. Logistic regression modeling and multilevel logistic modeling were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 5753 live birth children were included in this study. Of the total live births, 220 (3.8%) died in the first 7 days of life. Urban residence [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.621; 95% CI: 0.453–0.850], residence in Addis Ababa (AOR=0.141; 95% CI: 0.090–0.220), family size of four or less (AOR=0.761; 95% CI: 0.608–0.952), age of mother at first birth of less than 20 years (AOR=0.728; 95% CI: 0.548–0.966), and using contraceptives (AOR=0.597; 95% CI: 0.438–0.814) were associated with lower risk of perinatal mortality compared to the respective reference categories whereas residence in Afar (AOR=2.259; 95% CI: 1.235–4.132), residence in Gambela (AOR=2.352; 95% CI: 1.328–4.167), no education (AOR=1.232; 95% CI: 1.065–1.572), poor wealth index (AOR=1.670; 95% CI: 1.172–2.380), and wealth index (AOR=1.648; 95% CI: 1.174–2.314) were associated with higher risk of perinatal mortality compared to the respective reference categories. Conclusion: In this study, the overall prenatal mortality rate was 38 (95% CI: 33–44) deaths per 1000 live births, which is high in magnitude. The study identified place of residence, region, wealth index, age of the mother at first birth, educational level of the mother, family size, and use of contraceptive methods as significant determinants of perinatal mortality in Ethiopia. Thus, mothers with no education should be given health education. Women should also be given awareness regarding the use of contraceptives. In addition, further research needs to be conducted in each region separately and information made available at the disaggregate level.