Predictors of Exclusive Breastfeeding in the First Six Months: A Cross-sectional Study in Ardabil, Northwest of Iran

Background: Breast milk provides essential and irreplaceable nutrients for an infant’s growth and development. Consequently, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of an infant’s life is important for their health and survival.  This study aimed to determine predictors of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months among infants in Iran.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 379 lactating women with infants >6 months. Participants attended health care centers in Ardabil city, Iran during 2020. Information about mothers and infants was collected via a questionnaire. Differences in characteristics of women that engaged in exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months (EBF-6) compared to no exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months (NEBF-6) was analyzed via T-tests. Predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among the infants were examined via logistic regression analyses.Results: There were 196 respondents (51.7%) categorized into EBF-6 compared to 183 respondents (48.3%) categorized into NEBF-6. A greater number of women in EBF-6 compared to NEBF-6 were housewives (p=0.034). Additionally, the time of the first breastfeeding after birth was earlier for EBF-6 compared to NEBF-6 (p<0.001). Among the variables related to exclusive breastfeeding, only the predictive power of breastfeeding in the first half hour after birth was confirmed (p=0.002). This finding suggested that breastfeeding soon after birth led to an increase of almost 6 times in the probability of engaging in exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months.Conclusions: Breastfeeding soon after birth appears to strongly influence the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. Considering the important role of this practice in maintaining and ensuring maternal and child health, early initiation of breastfeeding after birth should be prioritized.

Predictors of Exclusive Breastfeeding in the First Six Months: A Cross-sectional Study in Ardabil, Northwest of Iran Keywords:

Ardabil , Exclusive breastfeeding , infant health , Maternal health , Predictors