TY - JOUR AU - Imtiaz, Ayesha AU - ul Haq, Zia AU - Sadiq, Naveed AU - Fazid, Sheraz PY - 2020/06/30 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - EARLY INITIATION OF BREAST FEEDING AMONG CHILDREN 0-23 MONTHS OF AGE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN DISTRICT CHARSADDA, PAKISTAN JF - KHYBER MEDICAL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL JA - Khyber Med Univ J VL - 12 IS - 2 SE - Original Articles DO - 10.35845/kmuj.2020.19768 UR - https://www.kmuj.kmu.edu.pk/article/view/19768 SP - 95-101 AB - <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To determine the practice of Early Initiation of Breast Feeding (EIBF) and associated factors among mothers of children 0-23 months of age in district Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.<br><strong>METHODS:</strong> This study was part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Population Health Survey (KPIPHS), 2016-17 and included data of 36 union councils of district Charsadda. Women having children &gt;2 years of age (n=357) were selected through multistage stratified-cluster random sampling. Data was collected using validated structured questionnaire. Association of breastfeeding practices was analyzed against a set of demographic variables through multivariable logistic regression analysis, using STATA-15<br><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Out of 357, 211 (59.10%) children were breastfed within first hour after birth. Mean age of the mothers was 35.1±9.35 years. About 49.58% (n=177) of mothers were aging 26-35 years, 63% (n=225) were rural residents, and 50.42% (n=180) were uneducated. In EIBF children, mothers between 26-35 years (n=115; 54.4%), uneducated (n=93; 44%), and residents of rural areas (n=148: 70%) had a significant association (p=≤0.05). In multivariable adjusted model, mothers between 26-35 years (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1-2.9; p=0.025) and those living in rural areas (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.3-3.5; p=0.002) were more likely to initiate breastfeeding earlier as compared to those living in urban areas and above 35 years of age after adjusting for other covariates.<br><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> More than half of the children under two years at district Charsadda were breastfed within first hour after birth. Residence, maternal age group, and school education had a strong association with EIBF.</p> ER -