Abstract:
Background; Adequate nutrition during infancy is essential for the normal development and
future well-being of the child. Even though breast milk is optimal nutrition for infants during the
first six months of life, the duration of breastfeeding has been declining and being replaced by
formula feeding, particularly in urban communities of developing countries including Ethiopia.
Objective; to assess the magnitude of formula feeding and associated factors among mothers with
infants of 0-6month old in Debre Berhan City, North Shoa, Ethiopia, 2023
Methods; A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 635 mothers with
infants of 0-6month-old from May 10th to May 20th, 2023 in randomly selected kebeles of Debre
Berhan city administration, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. A multistage sampling technique was
used to select the study participants. Data were collected by face-to-face interviewer-administered
questionnaire and entered using Epi data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis.
Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed and the strength of
association was declared by calculating an adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval with
P < 0.05. Variables with a P-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Result: A total of 635mothers with infants’ 0-6-month-old participated in the study with a response
rate of (96.7%). The prevalence of formula feeding among the study participants were 39.7% (95%
CI: 35.6, 43.65). Initiation of breast feeding after one-hour AOR=2.55 (95% CI: 1.65, 3.95),
mothers who didn’t know the side effects of formula milk AOR=6.91(95% CI: 4.15, 11.49),
attending college and above AOR=7.45(95% CI: 2.39, 2319) and cesarean section delivery
AOR=6.07(95% CI: 3.101, 11.88) were predictors of formula feeding.
Conclusion: formula milk feeding among mothers with infants 0-6 months old in Debre Berhan
City is high. Maternal educational level, mothers received counselling about breast feeding,
initiation of breast feeding after one hour, and delivery by cesarean section were found to influence
formula feeding. Creating awareness among mothers about the side effects of formula feeding and
promoting initiation of breast feeding within one hour.
Key word: prevalence, formula feeding, Debre Berhan city.
