Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40217460›Full record

ArticleInternational breastfeeding journal2025

Factors influencing early initiation of breastfeeding in Afghanistan: secondary analysis of the Afghanistan MICS 2022-23.

Essa Tawfiq, Muhammad Haroon Stanikzai, Zarghoon Tareen, Sayed Ali Shah Alawi, Abdul Wahed Wasiq, Omid Dadras

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Article in International breastfeeding journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

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9citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Essa TawfiqThe Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Muhammad Haroon StanikzaiDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan. haroonstanikzai1@gmail.com.
Zarghoon TareenDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Sayed Ali Shah AlawiUHI Project/JHPIEGO, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Abdul Wahed WasiqDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Omid DadrasDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInitiating breastfeeding immediately within the first hour following birth has positive effects on the mother's and newborn's health and wellbeing. Little is known about the early initiation of breastfeeding and associated factors in Afghanistan. In this study, we addressed this research gap.

methodsWe used data from the Afghanistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2022-23. Data were analysed from 11,992 ever-married women, aged 15-49 years, who delivered a live child in the last 2 years before the survey. The outcome was early initiation of breastfeeding and defined as initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding.

resultsOut of 11,992 women, 46.9% initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of birth. The likelihood of early initiation of breastfeeding was greater in women with secondary or higher education (AOR 1.44 [95% CI 1.26, 1.63]), in women belonging to the second wealth quintile (AOR 1.17 [95% CI 1.04, 1.31]), in women who had access to media (AOR 1.15 [95% CI 1.03, 1.29]), and in women who had mobile phones (AOR 1.25 [95% CI 1.15, 1.37]). The likelihood was lower in women who gave birth at home (AOR 0.60 [95% CI 0.55, 0.66]), at private hospitals or clinics (AOR 0.65 [95% CI 0.56, 0.76]), as compared to women who gave birth at public clinics or hospitals, and in women living in rural areas (AOR 0.88 [95% CI 0.78, 0.95]). Women who had C-section for their latest live birth (AOR 0.26 [95% CI 0.21, 0.32]), and women who had very small-sized babies (AOR 0.89 [95% CI 0.79, 0.99]) were less likely to report early initiation of breastfeeding.

conclusionWith nearly half of Afghan women delaying breastfeeding beyond the first hour of birth, targeted health policies and interventions are crucial. Addressing key socioeconomic and healthcare disparities through education, equitable access to maternal care, and community-based awareness programs can promote early breastfeeding practices and improve neonatal health outcomes in Afghanistan.

Indexed as

Breast FeedingMothersAdolescentAdultAfghanistanFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornMiddle AgedSocioeconomic FactorsTime FactorsYoung AdultAfghanistanBreastfeedingColostrumEarly breastfeedingNeonatal health

Identifiers

PMID40217460
PMCPMC11987306

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.