Observational studyFrontiers in public health2026
Prevalence, determinants, and reasons for formula feeding among Palestinian mothers in the West Bank: a cross-sectional study.
Observational study in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Exclusive breastfeeding rates in Palestine remain below WHO targets, and formula use is prevalent among infants in the first two years of life. Evidence on the specific factors associated with formula introduction in the Palestinian context is limited. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of formula feeding among Palestinian mothers of infants aged 0-24 months, identify the primary reasons for formula introduction, and determine the independent sociodemographic, maternal, infant, and perinatal predictors of formula use. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2024 and January 2025 in three primary healthcare centers across the northern, central, and southern West Bank (Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron governorates). A total of 506 mothers meeting eligibility criteria were enrolled using consecutive sampling. Data were collected via a structured, investigator-developed Arabic questionnaire covering maternal sociodemographic characteristics, chronic disease history, infant feeding practices, and perinatal variables. Bivariable analyses (chi-square and Fisher's exact tests) and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to identify factors independently associated with formula feeding. Results: Mixed feeding was the most common feeding practice (62.3%), followed by exclusive breastfeeding (29.1%) and exclusive formula feeding (8.7%). Overall, 70.9% of mothers introduced formula within the first 24 months, primarily due to perceived low milk supply (32.3%) and time constraints (25.9%). Independent predictors of formula feeding included antenatal care attendance (aOR = 5.34, 95% CI: 1.45-19.70) and having ≥3 children (aOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.04-3.42), while breastfeeding education (aOR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.35-0.98) and breastfeeding initiation within 24 h of birth (aOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.09-0.85) were protective factors. Conclusion: Formula feeding is highly prevalent among Palestinian mothers, with mixed feeding being the dominant practice. Antenatal breastfeeding education and targeted postnatal support for multiparous mothers are priority areas for intervention within Palestinian maternal health services. The counterintuitive positive association between antenatal care attendance and formula feeding underscores the need to audit and strengthen breastfeeding-promotional content within antenatal consultations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.