Maternal Predictors

Women aged 25-34 years were more likely to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour than women aged 15-24 years. Multiparous women were more likely than first-time mothers to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour. Children of mothers under 30 had lower overweight prevalence than children of mothers aged 30 or older. Children of mothers under 30 had significantly lower odds of overweight compared with undernutrition. The article cautions that causation cannot be inferred for maternal age because the study was cross-sectional. Maternal age was significantly associated with nutritional status in bivariate analysis. Maternal age under 30 was not significantly associated with undernutrition compared with normal nutritional status. In the final model, maternal age 25-34 years, place of delivery, mode of delivery, parity, and wealth index were significantly associated with TIBF. Maternal education and maternal occupation were not statistically associated with nutritional status. The lower TIBF among wealthier women may relate to formula access, perceptions of formula feeding, social demands, and private-facility care practices. Women in the richest wealth category were less li…