Factors Associated With Pre-Lacteal Feeding Practices Among Mothers Having Children Aged 0-36 Months in Bangladesh: Evidence From Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18

Abstract

Despite being a known barrier to optimal breast-feeding indicators, the practice of Pre-lacteal Feeding (PLF) remains a key challenge in Bangladesh. This study examines the prevalence and underlying factors associated with PLF, for which data from a weighted sample of 4982 Bangladeshi mothers with children aged 0 to 36 months from the 2017-18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey was used. Step-by-step multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the association of significant determinants of PLF practices. Nearly 29% newborns received PLF before breastmilk and timely initiation of breastfeeding did not happen in case of 20.5% babies. The odds of PLF were significantly higher among the inhabitants of Dhaka division compared to other regions. In addition, birth-related factors such as optimal ANC visits ( P < .01), home delivery ( P < .01) and delivered by cesarean section ( P < .01) showed significantly higher odds of introducing PLF to the newborns. Our results demonstrated the need for developing targeted policies and actions to prevent such practices of PLF in order to improve optimal breastfeeding behavior in Bangladesh.

Exploring the factors associated with prelacteal feeding in Papua New Guinea: a population-based cross-sectional study

“…Overall, one in ten (10%) women had ever introduced prelacteal feeds to their newborn infants. Our finding is similar to the proportion found in studies conducted in East Africa (12%) [21] and Ethiopia (14%) [16,42], but much lower than findings found in studies conducted in other Asian LMICs (33.9%) [17], including Bangladesh (29%) [31], Nepal (30.6%) [29], and Indonesia (45%) [43]. Reasons for the differences in the rates of prelacteal feeding may be due to sociocultural factors, geographical settings, maternal health service use or availability, and access to media and information across different countries.…”

“…A population-based analysis of 57 participating countries found that prelacteal feeding remained prevalent in LMICs, with Asia having the highest prevalence (nearly 60%) compared to other regions (<40%) [28]. Similarly, recent studies in the Asia-Pacific, such as Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, showed high prelacteal feeding rates (29%, 30.2%, and 32%, respectively) [29–31]. Such forms of supplementation can be particularly deleterious in settings where poverty or resource scarcity can impede nutritional potential.…”