Assessment of Breast Feeding Practice and Risk Factors Associated with Severe Acute Malnutrition among Children Admitted to Addis Ababa Governmental Hospitals, Ethiopia, 2014: A Cross-Sectional Facility Based Study

Background: Malnutrition remains one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children throughout the world. It is responsible for over 50% death of under age of 5 years children. Objective: To assess feeding practice and factors associated with severe acute malnutrition in under age of 5 year children admitted to Addis Ababa Government Hospitals, Ethiopia, 2014. Methods and Materials: A cross sectional study design was conducted on 151 under age of 5 year children admitted to Addis Ababa Governmental Hospitals from April to May 2014. The required number of sample was selected based on the registration and diagnosis. Data was collected by review of medical records and interview of the family member nearby during data collection. The data was manipulated and analyzed by using Epi.info version 3.5.4 for windows and SPSS version 16.0. Results: Out of one hundred fifty one study subjects, 124(82.1%) of them breastfed; but majority of them, 65.4% did not practice exclusive breast feeding. Maternal illiteracy had 2.46 times high risk and significant association with severe acute malnutrition (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI, 1.4-42.4). Being age younger than 11 months also showed 5.97 times high risk and statistically significant association with severe acute malnutrition (AOR = 5.97, 95% CI, 1.8-20). Children of governmental employee mother were 2.29 times high risk to be affected by marasmus (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI, 1.4–3.86). Male children were 2.28 times higher risk to be affected by the case than female children (AOR = 2.28, 95% CI, 1.1–4.9). Conclusion: Maternal illiteracy, maternal occupation, sex of the child being male and age of the child younger than 11 months have strong and statistically significant association with child severe acute malnutrition.