Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding among infants aged 0-6 months in a Peri-urban low income settlement of Kangemi, Nairobi

Abstract

Breastfeeding is an important determinant of a child’s growth and development. This study’s intent was to determine prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors among infants aged 0-6 months in a peri-urban area, Kangemi in Nairobi County. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The study employed sampling with probability proportional to size (PPS). A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to randomly selected 334 mother-infant pairs for infants aged 0-6 months. To determine factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding, a chisquare test and Logistic regression were used at a significance level of 0.05. From the study findings, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was 45.5% among infants aged 0-6 months in Kangemi, Nairobi. The practice of exclusive breastfeeding decreased with age of infant. Further, age of infant, household income, father’s education, household size and birth spacing were found to be important factors in the initiation and maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding.