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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Neonatology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1399004

Colostrum avoidance practice and associated factors among mothers of children less than six months in Dilla town, Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia

Provisionally accepted
Anteneh Gashaw Anteneh Gashaw *Daniel Kebede Daniel Kebede Teferi Regasa Teferi Regasa Hermela Bekele Hermela Bekele
  • Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Colostrum, often referred to as "golden milk," is the initial milk produced after birth, crucial for preventing childhood malnutrition and boosting natural immunity. Neglecting colostrum intake heightens the vulnerability to infections and mortality, particularly in developing regions. Colostrum avoidance is prevalent in Ethiopia. This research aimed to investigate the frequency and factors contributing to colostrum avoidance in Dilla town, southern Ethiopia.M ethod: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in late 2023. Data were gathered from 350 participants, selected through multistage sampling, using structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Data entry was conducted using Epi Data version 4.2.0 and transferred to Stata version 18 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with colostrum avoidance, with a significance level of p < 0.05.Result: The prevalence of the colostrum avoidance was 28.3% (95% CI: 18.4%-38.2%). Late initiation of breastfeeding (AOR 4.15 95% CI 2.51-6.84), pre-lacteal feeding, non-use of postnatal care (PNC) (AOR 1.79 95% CI 1.05-3.04), and lack of information about colostrum (AOR 1.88 95% CI 1.14-3.08) were factors significantly associated with the colostrum avoidance.Conclusions and recommendations: A high prevalence of colostrum avoidance was observed, with pre-lacteal feeding, delayed initiation of breastfeeding, lack of PNC, and inadequate maternal knowledge about colostrum identified as contributing factors. Consequently, interventions aimed at reducing colostrum avoidance should prioritize improving access to and promotion of PNC, promoting timely initiation of breastfeeding, and intensifying awareness campaigns highlighting the advantages of colostrum while emphasizing the risks associated with pre-lacteal feeding.Background: Colostrum, often referred to as "golden milk," is the initial milk produced after birth, crucial for preventing childhood malnutrition and boosting natural immunity. Neglecting colostrum intake heightens the vulnerability to infections and mortality, particularly in developing regions. The objective of this research is to investigate the frequency and contributing factors of avoiding colostrum consumption in Dilla town, located in the Gedeo zone, southern Ethiopia.

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    Received: 11 Mar 2024; Accepted: 21 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gashaw, Kebede, Regasa and Bekele. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Anteneh Gashaw, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia

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