Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences

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Socio-Economic Status and Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Infants in a Ugandan Cross-Sectional Study

Received: 28 March 2019    Accepted: 05 May 2019    Published: 03 June 2019
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Abstract

Nation-wide population based studies on socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among infants is scarce in Uganda. This study examined the socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among 1424 infants below 6 months of age in a nation-wide population based cross-sectional study. Self-reported maternal exclusive breastfeeding practice in the first six months of their last born baby`s life was the outcome of interest. Household wealth index and maternal occupation constituted the proxy measures of socio-economic status, the exposure variable of interest. The distribution of exclusive breastfeeding practice by infant-mother dyad characteristics was calculated by conducting bivariate analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression models were then fitted to calculate the odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals for exclusive breastfeeding by maternal occupation and household wealth index. The results showed that half of the infants were boys, close to half of their mothers were farmers, and 23% and 16.9% of the infants lived in the poorest and richest households respectively. Overall 67% of the infants were exclusively breastfed. The odds ratios for exclusive breastfeeding by maternal occupation were 0.62 (0.26-1.50) for infants whose mothers were professionals/technical/managers, 0.97(0.50-1.87) for clerical/sales, 0.78 (0.51-1.21), for Farmers, 0.72 (0.29-1.82) for Household/Domestic/Services, 0.72 (0.39-1.36) for skilled manual workers and 0.72 (0.25-2.02) for unskilled manual workers compared to infants of non-working mothers. The odds ratios for exclusive breastfeeding by household wealth index were 2.38 (1.30-4.33), for the poorest, 2.16 (1.18-3.96) poorer, 1.91 (1.10-3.48) middle, and 1.41 (0.75-2.64), for richer households compared to infants in the richest households. In conclusion, an inverse relationship was found between household socio-economic status and exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months of age and inadequate evidence to conclude existence of an association between maternal socio-economic status and exclusive breastfeeding. Targeting exclusive breastfeeding interventions to mother-infant dyad living in affluent families might be important in reducing socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months of age in Uganda.

DOI 10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13
Published in Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2019)
Page(s) 16-24
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Exclusive Breastfeeding, Socio-Economic Status, Infants, Uganda

References
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Author Information
  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lira University, Lira, Uganda

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Rural Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Victoria University, Kampala, Uganda

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    Ratib Mawa, Caroline Kambugu Nabasirye, James Mulira, Catherine Nakidde, Frank Kalyango, et al. (2019). Socio-Economic Status and Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Infants in a Ugandan Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 7(1), 16-24. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13

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    ACS Style

    Ratib Mawa; Caroline Kambugu Nabasirye; James Mulira; Catherine Nakidde; Frank Kalyango, et al. Socio-Economic Status and Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Infants in a Ugandan Cross-Sectional Study. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2019, 7(1), 16-24. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13

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    AMA Style

    Ratib Mawa, Caroline Kambugu Nabasirye, James Mulira, Catherine Nakidde, Frank Kalyango, et al. Socio-Economic Status and Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Infants in a Ugandan Cross-Sectional Study. J Food Nutr Sci. 2019;7(1):16-24. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13,
      author = {Ratib Mawa and Caroline Kambugu Nabasirye and James Mulira and Catherine Nakidde and Frank Kalyango and Dolorence Mary Angulo Alaki Wakida and Margaret Chota and Tracy Leigh Schumacher and Stephen Lawoko and Krishna Nand Sharma},
      title = {Socio-Economic Status and Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Infants in a Ugandan Cross-Sectional Study},
      journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
      volume = {7},
      number = {1},
      pages = {16-24},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20190701.13},
      abstract = {Nation-wide population based studies on socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among infants is scarce in Uganda. This study examined the socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among 1424 infants below 6 months of age in a nation-wide population based cross-sectional study. Self-reported maternal exclusive breastfeeding practice in the first six months of their last born baby`s life was the outcome of interest. Household wealth index and maternal occupation constituted the proxy measures of socio-economic status, the exposure variable of interest. The distribution of exclusive breastfeeding practice by infant-mother dyad characteristics was calculated by conducting bivariate analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression models were then fitted to calculate the odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals for exclusive breastfeeding by maternal occupation and household wealth index. The results showed that half of the infants were boys, close to half of their mothers were farmers, and 23% and 16.9% of the infants lived in the poorest and richest households respectively. Overall 67% of the infants were exclusively breastfed. The odds ratios for exclusive breastfeeding by maternal occupation were 0.62 (0.26-1.50) for infants whose mothers were professionals/technical/managers, 0.97(0.50-1.87) for clerical/sales, 0.78 (0.51-1.21), for Farmers, 0.72 (0.29-1.82) for Household/Domestic/Services, 0.72 (0.39-1.36) for skilled manual workers and 0.72 (0.25-2.02) for unskilled manual workers compared to infants of non-working mothers. The odds ratios for exclusive breastfeeding by household wealth index were 2.38 (1.30-4.33), for the poorest, 2.16 (1.18-3.96) poorer, 1.91 (1.10-3.48) middle, and 1.41 (0.75-2.64), for richer households compared to infants in the richest households. In conclusion, an inverse relationship was found between household socio-economic status and exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months of age and inadequate evidence to conclude existence of an association between maternal socio-economic status and exclusive breastfeeding. Targeting exclusive breastfeeding interventions to mother-infant dyad living in affluent families might be important in reducing socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months of age in Uganda.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    T1  - Socio-Economic Status and Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Infants in a Ugandan Cross-Sectional Study
    AU  - Ratib Mawa
    AU  - Caroline Kambugu Nabasirye
    AU  - James Mulira
    AU  - Catherine Nakidde
    AU  - Frank Kalyango
    AU  - Dolorence Mary Angulo Alaki Wakida
    AU  - Margaret Chota
    AU  - Tracy Leigh Schumacher
    AU  - Stephen Lawoko
    AU  - Krishna Nand Sharma
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    PY  - 2019
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13
    T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
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    EP  - 24
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7293
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20190701.13
    AB  - Nation-wide population based studies on socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among infants is scarce in Uganda. This study examined the socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among 1424 infants below 6 months of age in a nation-wide population based cross-sectional study. Self-reported maternal exclusive breastfeeding practice in the first six months of their last born baby`s life was the outcome of interest. Household wealth index and maternal occupation constituted the proxy measures of socio-economic status, the exposure variable of interest. The distribution of exclusive breastfeeding practice by infant-mother dyad characteristics was calculated by conducting bivariate analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression models were then fitted to calculate the odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals for exclusive breastfeeding by maternal occupation and household wealth index. The results showed that half of the infants were boys, close to half of their mothers were farmers, and 23% and 16.9% of the infants lived in the poorest and richest households respectively. Overall 67% of the infants were exclusively breastfed. The odds ratios for exclusive breastfeeding by maternal occupation were 0.62 (0.26-1.50) for infants whose mothers were professionals/technical/managers, 0.97(0.50-1.87) for clerical/sales, 0.78 (0.51-1.21), for Farmers, 0.72 (0.29-1.82) for Household/Domestic/Services, 0.72 (0.39-1.36) for skilled manual workers and 0.72 (0.25-2.02) for unskilled manual workers compared to infants of non-working mothers. The odds ratios for exclusive breastfeeding by household wealth index were 2.38 (1.30-4.33), for the poorest, 2.16 (1.18-3.96) poorer, 1.91 (1.10-3.48) middle, and 1.41 (0.75-2.64), for richer households compared to infants in the richest households. In conclusion, an inverse relationship was found between household socio-economic status and exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months of age and inadequate evidence to conclude existence of an association between maternal socio-economic status and exclusive breastfeeding. Targeting exclusive breastfeeding interventions to mother-infant dyad living in affluent families might be important in reducing socio-economic inequality in exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months of age in Uganda.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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