Abstract
Exclusive breastfeeding is the most appropriate food for under-6-months old infants. However, some of them received infant formula during this first period of life. While previous studies focused on barriers to exclusive breastfeeding, this study examined when, why and what factors of initiation of breast milk substitutes (BMS) in the first 6 months. This study was quantitative research. Data were collected through a questionnaire from 1,147 mothers and caregivers of children under 3 years old at well-baby clinics in public and private hospitals. Characteristics of the sample, first exposure and reasons were presented using descriptive analysis. Factors of breast milk substitute initiation were analyzed by using binary logistic regression. The analysis used SPSS version 18. The study presented that most infants started breast milk substitutes in the first day after birth (24.1 percent), and in the first month, there was 44.5 percent of infants fed formula because mothers believed that “mothers’ breast milk was insufficient” and “mothers had to return to work or study”. The results of binary logistic regression illustrated that “education level of mothers” and “family-economic status” as well as “changing main caregivers” and “the negative attitude on breastfeeding” were associated with formula feeding before reaching 6 months.
