SEARCHMETA-ANALYSISpediatrics, public health

meta-analysis·pediatrics, public health, epidemiology, nutrition, systematic review·PMC10199593

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 · 5 authors, 7 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 24 studies from Ghana found that the pooled prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for children aged 0-6 months was 50%, with several sociodemographic, obstetric, and infant-related factors identified as facilitators or barriers.

Full summary

423 CHARS

This systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis synthesized data from 24 cross-sectional studies published between 2005 and 2021 to estimate the pooled prevalence and identify determinants of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among children aged 0-6 months in Ghana. The authors conclude that a multi-dimensional, culturally sensitive approach is needed to address the diverse factors influencing EBF practice in Ghana.

STUDY TYPE

meta-analysis

SPECIALTY

pediatrics

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10199593

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

READ THE FULL PAPER

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. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-15758-w.

CITATION EXPORT

Shamsudeen Mohammed, Ibrahim Yakubu, Abdul-Ganiyu Fuseini et al.. 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. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15758-w

AUTHORS

5 · 7 CENTRES

Shamsudeen Mohammed, Ibrahim Yakubu, Abdul-Ganiyu Fuseini, Abdul-Malik Abdulai, Yakubu H. Yakubu

1grid.8991.90000 0004 0425 469XMedicineDepartment of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
2grid.29980.3a0000 0004 1936 7830Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
3Department of Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Gushegu, Ghana
4grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University, Melbourne, Vic Australia
5Department of Nursing, Nurses’ and Midwives’ Training College, Tamale, Ghana
6grid.252547.30000 0001 0705 7067School of Clinical Sciences, Department of Nursing, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
7grid.460777.50000 0004 0374 4427Department of Intensive Care Unit, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana