Exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among rural mothers with 6–12-month-old children in west Oromia, Ethiopia

Background/aims Despite the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for children, the practice is not widespread in low-income countries, including Ethiopia, especially in rural settings. This study aimed to determine exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among mothers with 6–12-month-old children in west Oromia, Ethiopia.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 391 randomly selected mothers with 6–12-month-old children in Amuru, Ethiopia. Data on breastfeeding practice were collected using a structured questionnaire, adapted from the Ethiopian Health and Demographic Survey. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. Factors that were significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding at univariate analysis were then submitted to binary logistic regression, with P<0.05 considered significant.Results Of the 391 respondents, 48.1% of the mothers reported exclusively breastfeeding their children. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding were: mother aged 21–25 years old (adjusted odds ratio=5.1, P<0.0001), husband`s educational status (adjusted odds ratio=2.8, P<0.0001), owning a radio (adjusted odds ratio=2.8, P<0.0001), antenatal care attendance (adjusted odds ratio=9.2, P<0.0001), delivery at a health institution (adjusted odds ratio=4.3, P<0.0001) and initiating breastfeeding within an hour of birth (adjusted odds ratio=4.2, P<0.0001).Conclusions The exclusive breastfeeding rate was low among mothers in this study. Health education should be provided to mothers at the community and health facility level. The quality of maternity services provided at health facilities or in the community needs improvement by providing pre-service and in-service training to health workers. Moreover, facility-based birth and respectful care needs promotion.