Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Mothers Attending Masaka District Hospital Kigali/Rwanda: a Cross-section Study.

Abstract Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for 6 months is considered a major public health intervention to reduce the escalating child mortality of neonates and infants in low and middle-income countries. In most East Africa countries, exclusive breastfeeding did not meet the recommendation of WHO/UNICEF that a baby should be fed only breast milk for the first 6 months. This study is aimed to provide knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) towards EBF and identify factors associated with the practice of exclusive breastfeeding. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2020. A total of 364 mothers were interviewed using a questionnaire. Univariate statistical analysis was used to define variables using frequencies and percentages. Multiple logistic regression was also applied to identify the factors associated with EBF practice.Results: In the current study, the majority of mothers, 84%, presented good knowledge, 87.0% also showed a good attitude toward EBF. Nearly 95.9% of the respondents understood the benefits of EBF practice for at least six months, 86.0% also responded that breast milk should be started immediately after birth within an hour. Besides, 87.6% knew the importance of the first breast milk or colostrum. 92.3% of mothers understand that breastfeeding increases mother-infant bonding, 92.3% of mothers understand that breastfed babies are healthier than formula-fed babies, and 94.8% believed that breast milk is the ideal food for babies. Furthermore, 76.4% of the surveyed mothers exclusively breastfed their infants for the first 6 months after delivery A married women (OR=.270; 95%CI=.160-.457, p<.001), had a high school degree(OR= .150; 95CI=.073-.307; p<.001), mothers whose had babies more than three (OR=.090; 95%CI=.035-.233, p<.001), good knowledge score(OR=2.535; 95%CI=1.399-4.594, P=0.002) and positive attitude score OR=2.051; 95%CI=1.149-3.662, P=0.015) were statistically significant association with EBF.Conclusion: In the studied area; knowledge and attitude of mothers towards EBF are relatively high. However, the level of EBF is still below the WHO recommendation. The findings of this study highly inform policymakers and healthcare providers to direct their efforts to provide evidence-based information and recommendations on the benefits of breastfeeding to promote the practice of exclusive breastfeeding.