• Desale Sisay Yimer, Omer Seid Adem, Mastewal Arefayene, Tefera Chanie, and Melese Linger Endalifer.
• Public Health Nutritionist, Woldia General Hospital, Woldia, Ethiopia.
• Afr Health Sci. 2021 Dec 1; 21 (4): 187718861877-1886.

BackgroundInappropriate practice of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is still a major problem worldwide.ObjectiveTo identify exclusive breastfeeding practice and its associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Woldia Town.MethodsA Community based cross-sectional study was carried out.Interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect the data. The questionnaire was adapted from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Hosmer-Lemeshow model was fitted at a P-value of 0.91. Finally, Variables having P-Value <0.05 with 95% CI was considered as significant factors.ResultThe prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice was 46.2% (95% CI: 42.0, 49.8). Being employed mothers (AOR=0.62,95% CI:0.44,0.87), being head of a household (AOR=0.52,95% CI:0.32,0.83), not g getting husband support (AOR:0.5,95%CI:0.34,0.74), not fed colostrum's (AOR:0.36,95%CI:0.23,0.57), not affected by traditional belief (AOR:3.59, 95% CI:2.09-6.17) shows significant association with Exclusive breast feeding practice.ConclusionThe prevalence of exclusive breast feeding practice was relatively lower than the National prevalence. Some demographic variable and traditional beliefs were significantly associated with exclusive breast feeding. Designing model policies that empower the role of women and eradicating bad traditional beliefs in the community is fundamental step.© 2021 Yimer DS et al.

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