Prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding and its associated factors among women in Mauritania: evidence from a national survey

BACKGROUND: Timely initiation of breastfeeding is crucial for positive health outcomes for babies and mothers. Understanding the factors influencing timely initiation of breastfeeding is vital for reducing child morbidities and mortalities in Mauritania. This study, therefore, assessed the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding and its associated factors among women in Mauritania, providing significant insights for improving maternal and child health in the country. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the 2019-2021 Mauritania Demographic and Health Survey data. A weighted sample of 4,114 mother-child pairs was included in the study. We used percentage to present the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding. A four-modelled multilevel binary logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding. The regression results were presented using adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Stata software version 17.0 was used to perform all the analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was 57.3% (95% CI 54.5, 60.00). Birth order was associated with early initiation of breastfeeding with the highest odds among those in the fourth birth order (aOR 1.61; 95% CI 1.08, 2.39). Mothers who practiced skin-to-skin contact were more likely to initiate breastfeeding early than those who did not (aOR 1.46; 95% CI 1.14, 1.87). There were regional disparities in the early initiation of breastfeeding. The odds of timely initiation of breastfeeding was lower among women who were delivered by caesarean section (aOR 0.22; 95%CI 0.14, 0.36), those who were working (aOR 0.57; 95% CI 0.45, 0.73), those who had four or more antenatal care visits (aOR 0.67; 95%CI 0.47, 0.94)], and those in the richest wealth quintile (aOR 0.61; 95% CI 0.38, 0.98) compared to those who had normal delivery, those who were not working, those who had zero antenatal care visits, and those in the poorest wealth quintile households, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study found a relatively low prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding among women in Mauritania. Factor such as birth order, region of residence, mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact after birth, antenatal care visits, caesarean delivery, employment status, and wealth index were associated with early initiation of breastfeeding. Improving optimal breastfeeding practices, such as early initiation of breastfeeding in Mauritania, should be given adequate attention. There is a need for interventions such as baby-friendly facilities, providing an enabling environment for mothers to breastfeed their newborns early. Addressing regional health access disparities is important to improve early initiation of breastfeeding and other maternal, newborn, and child health interventions.