Bottle-feeding practice and its associated factors among mothers of children aged 0 to 23 months in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-level analysis of demographic and health surveys (2015–2022)

Avoidance of bottle feeding is recommended as it interferes with optimal suckling behavior, is difficult to keep clean, and is an important route for the transmission of pathogens. However, there is a current shift towards breastfeeding for a short period and the introduction of bottle feeding in both the developed and developing worlds. Bottle-feeding practice and its individual- and community-level determinants are not addressed in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap and assess the pooled prevalence and associated factors of bottle feeding among mothers of children less than 23 months of age.