The association between exclusive breastfeeding and nutritional status among infants under six months of age in Bangladesh: A secondary analysis of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2017-18

Abstract: Background Child undernutrition is a significant public health concern. Almost half of all deaths among children aged under five years are due to undernutrition globally. The risk of undernutrition remains high in many low and lower-middle-income countries, like Bangladesh. This study aimed at evaluating the association between exclusive breastfeeding practice and nutritional status such as stunting, wasting, and underweight among infants under six months of age in Bangladesh 2017-2018. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 917 mother-child paired. Data were carried out from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2017-18. To evaluate the associations, bivariate analysis by Pearson’s chi-squared test and binary logistic regression was performed. Results Of the 917 mother-child pairs, 64.2% of infants aged under six months were exclusively breastfed. Binary logistic regression showed no significant association between exclusive breastfeeding practice and stunting (p-value=0.088) and wasting (p-value=0.241). However, EBF was significantly associated with underweight (p-value=0.018) and exclusively breastfed children who were nutritionally better-off. Mothers who were practicing EBF were 36% less likely to have underweight children (OR adj 0.64; 95% CI: 0.45-0.93) compared to non-exclusively breastfed practice mothers. Conclusion The present study found no significant association between exclusive breastfeeding and stunting and wasting; however, underweight was significantly associated with EBF. Nutritional intervention initiatives should promote EBF practice for up to six months to improve child nutritional status.