Juliet Kristine C. Evangelista
Exclusive breastfeeding in infants provides an optimal nutrition in infants aged under six months. While the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to exclusively breastfeed their infants even up to 2 years, prevalence and duration among different countries are on decline. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding immediately postpartum and one month postpartum and determine its associated factors and possible predictors at Adventist Medical Center Manila (AMCM). A total of 235 mothers who delivered at AMCM were interviewed using a questionnaire prior to discharge and was followed-up via telephone call at one month postpartum. All analyses were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)Version 21. All inferential analyses were performed at 5% level of significance, but the interpretation of the multiple binary logistic regression analysis at 10% level of significance and its implications was also considered. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding significantly decreased from 100% immediately postpartum to 74% at 1 month postpartum (p<0.001). Among the possible associated factors, at 10% level of significance, 3 factors may be considered as independent predictors of exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum namely: previous breastfeeding experience (OR = 3.70, p = 0.080) presence of lactation area at work (OR = 2.08, p = 0.087) and presence of refrigerator at work for breast milk storage (OR = 2.98, p = 0.057).
Key words: Exclusive breastfeeding, optimal nutrition, postpartum, lactation
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