Exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life and its socio-demographic determinants in a nationwide survey in Iran

Exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months has an important role in infant and maternal health and prevention of child mortality. And the present study aimed to examine the factors affecting exclusive breastfeeding in children under 6 months and evaluate the achievement of the World Health Organization's goal for 2025 at the national level.

In this national survey, Data from 1845 mothers/caregivers with children under 6 months were examined Information on breastfeeding and infant nutrition during the past 24 hours, demographic information and socio-economic status in 1396 were collected. The survey questionnaire is derived from the DHS questionnaire designed by WHO and the food intake section is based on the standard questionnaire of MICS designed by UNICEF. The role and importance of factors affecting exclusive feeding were determined by logistic regression and chi-square tests.

The rate of exclusive breastfeeding among infants (˂ 6 months) was 45.9%. The percentage of exclusive feeding was higher in girls compared to boys and it decreased with age (P=0.00). Mothers' employment outside the home is one of the effective factors in the discontinuation of exclusive feeding. In this study, the Husband's Occupation, parents' education, and socioeconomic status were not associated with exclusive breastfeeding (P>0.05).

We showed that the age and sex of the children and the occupation of the mothers have a significant effect on exclusive breastfeeding. Also, the national rate of exclusive breastfeeding has decreased compared to the previous studies. Thus, health policies should be aimed at raising the awareness of mothers and protecting employed mothers from breastfeeding.