Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana
Abstract Background Exclusive breastfeeding is a public health priority in sub-Saharan Africa. However, systematic reviews on its determinants in Ghana remain scarce. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in children 0–6 months in Ghana. Met...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15758-w |
| _version_ | 1797822634960879616 |
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| author | Shamsudeen Mohammed Ibrahim Yakubu Abdul-Ganiyu Fuseini Abdul-Malik Abdulai Yakubu H. Yakubu |
| author_facet | Shamsudeen Mohammed Ibrahim Yakubu Abdul-Ganiyu Fuseini Abdul-Malik Abdulai Yakubu H. Yakubu |
| author_sort | Shamsudeen Mohammed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Exclusive breastfeeding is a public health priority in sub-Saharan Africa. However, systematic reviews on its determinants in Ghana remain scarce. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in children 0–6 months in Ghana. Methods We conducted systematic searches in Embase, Medline, and Africa-Wide Information from the databases’ inception until February 2021 for studies that assessed the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in children 0–6 months in Ghana. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and narrative synthesis to summarise the determinants. We calculated the proportion of total variability that was due to between study heterogeneity using I² statistics, and Egger’s test assessed publication bias. The review is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021278019. Results Out of the 258 articles identified, 24 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies were cross-sectional and were published between 2005 and 2021. The pooled prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among children 0–6 months in Ghana was 50% (95%CI 41.0–60.0%). The prevalence was higher in rural areas (54%) than in urban areas (44%). Several factors were identified as facilitators of EBF, including older maternal age, self-employment, unemployment, living in a large house, being a house owner, giving birth in a health facility, non-caesarean delivery, adequate antenatal attendance, counselling services, participation in support groups, adequate knowledge about EBF, positive attitude towards EBF, and higher maternal education among rural dwellers. Additionally, having an average birthweight facilitated EBF. Barriers to EBF were also identified, including higher maternal education among urban dwellers, less than three months of maternity leave, maternal HIV-positive status, the experience of partner violence, lack of access to radio, inadequate breastmilk production, lack of family support, having a partner who wants more children, counselling on complementary feeding, healthcare worker recommendation of complementary feed, single marital status, and infant admission to neonatal intensive care units. Conclusion In Ghana, EBF rates are low, with only about half of all children aged 0–6 months breastfed exclusively. A multi-dimensional approach is required to tackle the diverse sociodemographic, obstetric, and infant-related issues that hinder EBF practice in Ghana. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:12:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e1b3b1f4c5f4402f9450e1c7c9d85710 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:12:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-e1b3b1f4c5f4402f9450e1c7c9d857102023-05-21T11:29:30ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-05-0123111810.1186/s12889-023-15758-wSystematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in GhanaShamsudeen Mohammed0Ibrahim Yakubu1Abdul-Ganiyu Fuseini2Abdul-Malik Abdulai3Yakubu H. Yakubu4MedicineDepartment of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of OtagoSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin UniversityDepartment of Nursing, Nurses’ and Midwives’ Training CollegeSchool of Clinical Sciences, Department of Nursing, Auckland University of TechnologyAbstract Background Exclusive breastfeeding is a public health priority in sub-Saharan Africa. However, systematic reviews on its determinants in Ghana remain scarce. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in children 0–6 months in Ghana. Methods We conducted systematic searches in Embase, Medline, and Africa-Wide Information from the databases’ inception until February 2021 for studies that assessed the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in children 0–6 months in Ghana. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and narrative synthesis to summarise the determinants. We calculated the proportion of total variability that was due to between study heterogeneity using I² statistics, and Egger’s test assessed publication bias. The review is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021278019. Results Out of the 258 articles identified, 24 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies were cross-sectional and were published between 2005 and 2021. The pooled prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among children 0–6 months in Ghana was 50% (95%CI 41.0–60.0%). The prevalence was higher in rural areas (54%) than in urban areas (44%). Several factors were identified as facilitators of EBF, including older maternal age, self-employment, unemployment, living in a large house, being a house owner, giving birth in a health facility, non-caesarean delivery, adequate antenatal attendance, counselling services, participation in support groups, adequate knowledge about EBF, positive attitude towards EBF, and higher maternal education among rural dwellers. Additionally, having an average birthweight facilitated EBF. Barriers to EBF were also identified, including higher maternal education among urban dwellers, less than three months of maternity leave, maternal HIV-positive status, the experience of partner violence, lack of access to radio, inadequate breastmilk production, lack of family support, having a partner who wants more children, counselling on complementary feeding, healthcare worker recommendation of complementary feed, single marital status, and infant admission to neonatal intensive care units. Conclusion In Ghana, EBF rates are low, with only about half of all children aged 0–6 months breastfed exclusively. A multi-dimensional approach is required to tackle the diverse sociodemographic, obstetric, and infant-related issues that hinder EBF practice in Ghana.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15758-w |
| spellingShingle | Shamsudeen Mohammed Ibrahim Yakubu Abdul-Ganiyu Fuseini Abdul-Malik Abdulai Yakubu H. Yakubu Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana BMC Public Health |
| title | Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana |
| title_full | Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana |
| title_short | Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in Ghana |
| title_sort | systematic review and meta analysis of the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life in ghana |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15758-w |
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