Magnitude and determinants of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding at six weeks postpartum: evidence from the PMA Ethiopia longitudinal survey

Table 2 Individual, household and community level characteristics of living infants aged 6 weeks, PMA Ethiopia 2019–2021 cohort (n = 2564)

Variables	Overall
Variables	n	%
Maternal age (in years)
15–19	273	10.7
20–24	621	24.2
25–34	1252	48.8
35–49	418	16.3
Maternal education
Never attended	1052	41.0
Primary	1024	39.9
Secondary /higher	487	19.0
Marital status
Married	2443	95.3
Unmarried/divorced/widowed	121	4.7
Residence
Urban	584	22.8
Rural	1980	77.2
Region
Addis	103	4.0
Afar	50	2.0
Amhara	527	20.6
Oromia	1121	43.7
SNNP	584	22.8
Tigray	178	7.0
Religion
Protestant	647	25.2
Orthodox	1001	39.0
Muslim	867	33.8
Catholic/other	49	1.9
Parity
1	1028	40.1
2 +	1536	59.9
Wealth quintile
Low	1029	40.1
Middle	508	19.8
High	1027	40.1
Antenatal care visits
Zero visit	798	31.1
1–3 visits	796	31.1
4 or more visits	970	37.8
Delivery place
Home	1169	45.6
Facility	1395	54.4
Mode of delivery
Vaginal	2423	94.5
Caesarean	141	5.5
Skilled birth attendant
Yes	1502	58.6
No	1062	41.4
Maternity waiting home use before labor
Yes	378	14.7
No	2186	85.3
PNC
No	1688	65.8
Yes	876	34.2
Discussion about EBF during PNC
Yes	371	14.5
No	2193	85.5
Obstetric complication
Yes	956	37.3
No	1608	62.7
Pregnancy intention
Intended	1629	63.5
Unintended	935	36.5
Newborn sex
Male	1310	52.0
Female	1210	48.0
Birth outcome
Single	2521	98.3
Twin	43	1.7
Baby cry/breathe normally immediately after birth
Yes	2446	95.4
No	118	4.6
Baby placed on mother’s chest immediately after delivery
Yes	1150	44.9
No	1414	55.1
Infant illness since birth
No illness	1517	59.2
Any illness	1047	40.8

ISSN: 1746-4358