Table 2 Breastfeeding, infant formula feeding, and solid feeding characteristics of the study population
| Â | Total sample | Syrian sefugees | Lebanese host communities | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean duration of EBF (months) (n = 353) | ||||
|  | 3.5 ± 3.3 | 4.5 ± 3.1 | 2.6 ± 3.1 | <  0.001 |
Mean duration of breastfeeding (months) (n = 233) | ||||
|  | 8.1 ± 7.3 | 10.0 ± 7.6 | 6.5 ± 6.7 | <  0.001 |
Primary reasons for initiating breastfeedinga(n = 322) | ||||
 Health benefits for the baby | 193 (59.9) | 98 (58.7) | 95 (61.3) | 0.070 |
 Health benefits for the mother | 94 (29.2) | 48 (28.7) | 46 (29.7) | |
 High formula cost | 7 (2.2) | 7 (4.2) | 0 (0.0) | |
 Othersb | 28 (8.7) | 14 (8.4) | 14 (9.4) | |
Primary reasons for not breastfeedinga(n = 36) | ||||
 Problems with milk production | 17 (47.2) | 7 (46.7) | 10 (47.6) | 0.218 |
 Pain or discomfort when breastfeeding | 6 (16.7) | 2 (13.3) | 4 (19.0) | |
 Medical problems (Cesarean section, diabetes, etc) | 5 (13.9) | 4 (26.7) | 1 (4.8) | |
 Mother was sick | 4 (11.1) | 2 (13.3) | 2 (9.5) | |
 Othersb | 4 (11.1) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (19.0) | |
Primary reasons for stopping breastfeeding (n = 203) | ||||
 Problems with milk production | 44 (21.7) | 14 (14.9) | 30 (27.5) | <  0.001 |
 Pain or discomfort when breastfeeding | 43 (21.2) | 20 (21.3) | 23 (21.1) | |
 Subsequent pregnancy | 36 (17.7) | 32 (34.0) | 4 (3.7) | |
 Baby didn’t accept the breast | 18 (8.9) | 4 (4.3) | 14 (12.8) | |
 Needed help with feeding the baby | 18 (8.9) | 10 (10.6) | 8 (7.3) | |
 Othersb | 44 (21.7) | 14 (14.9) | 30 (27.5) | |
Proportion of children who used infant formula before 1 month (n = 358) | ||||
|  | 115 (32.1) | 43 (23.2) | 72 (41.6) | <  0.001 |
Proportion of children who used infant formula before 3 monthsa(n = 358) | ||||
|  | 161 (45.0) | 53 (28.6) | 108 (62.4) | <  0.001 |
Proportion of mothers introducing solid or semi-solid foods before 4 months (n = 351) | ||||
| Â | 16 (4.6) | 8 (4.5) | 8 (4.7) | 0.935 |
Proportion of mothers introducing solid or semi-solid foods before 6 months (n = 351) | ||||
| Â | 91 (25.9) | 37 (20.7) | 54 (31.4) | 0.022 |
Mean age of solid or semi-solid food introduction (in months) (n = 351) | ||||
|  | 6.4 ± 2.3 | 6.7 ± 2.4 | 6.0 ± 2.0 | 0.003 |
Reasons to start solid-food introduction (n = 361) | ||||
 Child was still hungry after milk feeds | 163 (45.2) | 86 (46.5) | 77 (43.8) | 0.138 |
 Child was old enough | 98 (27.1) | 41 (22.2) | 57 (32.4) | |
 Tradition in family | 42 (11.6) | 25 (13.5) | 17 (9.7) | |
 Othersb | 58 (16.1) | 33 (17.8) | 25 (14.2) | |
Minimum dietary diversity (7 groups)c | ||||
 No | 232 (63.6) | 133 (72.3) | 99 (54.7) | <  0.001 |
 Yes | 133 (36.4) | 51 (27.7) | 82 (45.3) | |
Minimum acceptable diet (7 groups)c | ||||
 No | 323 (89.5) | 164 (90.1) | 159 (88.8) | 0.691 |
 Yes | 38 (10.5) | 18 (9.9) | 20 (11.2) | |
Minimum dietary diversity (8 groups)d | ||||
 No | 276 (75.6) | 151 (82.1) | 125 (69.1) | 0.004 |
 Yes | 89 (24.4) | 33 (17.9) | 56 (30.9) | |
Minimum acceptable diet (8 groups)d | ||||
 No | 324 (90.8) | 163 (91.6) | 161 (89.9) | 0.595 |
 Yes | 33 (9.2) | 15 (8.4) | 18 (10.1) | |