Exclusive Breastfeeding by Mothers Attending Primary Health Centers in Sari, 2012

Background and Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after birth has an important role in preventing children morbidity and mortality. Understanding the factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding is critical in promoting this behavior. This study aimed to determine the factors predicting exclusive breastfeeding among children of mothers attending primary health centers in Sari. In a cross-sectional study 400 mothers with children under one year were randomly selected. Data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire’s content validity and reliability was previously approved. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after birth was 86.20%. The mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 3.2±1.08 months. Also, the prevalence of breastfeeding after six months was 81.6%. Living in their own house and having a supportive husband were independently associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding as a maternal child health index in Sari shows that breastfeeding behavior is well established in this region. High rate of exclusive breastfeeding signifies the role of family health programs in this region.