Exclusive Breastfeeding and Associated Factors among HIV Positive Mothers In Northern Ethiopia

Background: It is estimated that sub-optimal feeding, especially nonexclusive breastfeeding in the first 6months of life, results in 1.4million deaths and 10% of disease burden in children younger than five years. Worldwide, it is estimated that only 34.8% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6months of life, the majority receiving some other food or fluid in the early months. Besides, the Ethiopian demographic and health survey (2016) stated that the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding in Tigray region was 3.8 months which is shorter than the recommended duration. The main purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among HIV positive mothers in public hospitals of Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. Methods: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 9 to October 11, 2016, in public hospitals of Tigray region. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire using face-to-face