Breast-feeding practices and maternal employment in health facilities of Lira District, Northern Uganda

Abstract

Background: In Uganda, many working mothers stop breast-feeding before the end of the mandatory maternity leave of 60 days. Inadequate breast-feeding is a risk factor for infant morbidity and mortality. Thus, understanding of the factors that influence breast-feeding is essential so as to advocate for the appropriate breast-feeding practices. This cross-sectional study assessed the pre-lacteal feeding (PLF), early initiation of breast-feeding (EIBF) and exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) and the associated factors for PLF, EIBF and EBF among working mothers in health facilities in Lira District, Northern Uganda. Results: Among 376 mothers who participated, the prevalence of PLF, EIBF and EBF was 23.2%, 67.0% and 43.9%, respectively. Mode of delivery was significantly associated with PLF (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.22–0.68, p < 0.01), while mode of delivery (AOR = 3.77, 95% CI 2.19–6.47, p < 0.01), length of daily working time (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.29–0.82, p < 0.01) and paid maternity leave (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.22–0.95, p < 0.05) were the statistically significant factors associated with EIBF. Age-group, income level, mode of delivery (AOR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.09–0.74, p < 0.05), distance to workplace (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.26–0.78, p < 0.01), paid maternity leave (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.22–0.95, p < 0.01), breast-feeding space (AOR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.16–0.59, p < 0.05) and breast-feeding break (AOR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.47–1.50, p < 0.01) were the significant factors associated with EBF. Conclusions: Exclusive breast-feeding and pre-lacteal feeding among working mothers in health facilities in Lira District are lower than the national averages, but prevalence of early initiation of breast-feeding is higher than the national average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Bulletin of the National Research Centre is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)