Nutritional Knowledge and Determinant Factors Among Lactating Mothers in Nekemte Referral Hospital and Health Centers, East Wollega, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Lactating mothers from low-income countries including Ethiopia are considered as a nutritionally vulnerable group due to different socio demographic factors and lack of nutritional knowledge which impact on the health and well being of children. Adequate nutrition for the mothers during lactation is therefore important for their good health as well as for that of their offspring. However community based information regarding nutritional knowledge and associated factors among lactating mothers is lacking and scanty.  Objective: To assess nutritional knowledge, and associated factors among lactating mothers in Nekemte Hospital and Health Centers, East Wollega, Ethiopia.

Methods:  Institution based cross-sectional study was done from January 2014 to June 2014. The study was conducted using structured and pre-tested questionnaire. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, nutritional knowledge and associated factors was collected from all lactating mothers who visited both health institutions during postnatal care and EPI program. The association of nutritional knowledge with socio-economic and demographic factors was analyzed using descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results: This study revealed that majority of the women 260(81.3%) was in the age range of 17-25 yrs and attending school 292 (91.3%). This research also showed that 185(57.8%) of lactating mothers had good nutritional knowledge while a significant proportion of the respondent, 135(42.2%) of mothers had poor nutritional knowledge. From multiple logistic regression analysis   family size (AOR=4.604, 95%CI=1.903-11.140), family income (AOR=0.250, 95%CI=0.100-0.623) and knowledge of foods that were significantly associated with the nutritional status of the study participants.

Conclusions:  Nutritional knowledge of the lactating mothers were short of the national and international recommendations. Therefore, sustained nutrition education is recommended to the lactating mothers and their families and communities to improve food intake, proper dietary knowledge during lactation in order to enhance health and nutrition outcomes of lactating mothers and their children.

Keywords: Lactating mothers, Nutritional knowledge, associated factors