Table 2 Introduction of prelacteal feeding by background individual and community-level characteristics of children (N = 7692), Ethiopia 2011

Individual-level variables

 Afar

26.05

62(0.80)

 Amhara

44.94

2,198(28.57)

 Oromo

24.92

2,689(34.96)

 Somali

74.07

184(2.39)

 Tigrie

26.38

508(6.61)

 Others ethnic groups (Guragie, Berta…)

13.66

2051(26.67)

 Protestant

10.26

1,727(22.46)

 Orthodox

38.14

3,234(42.04)

 Muslim

30.51

2,484(32.29)

 Others (traditional…)

22.59

247(3.21)

 Poorest

38.31

1,686(21.92)

 Poorer

31.06

1,659(21.57)

 Middle

27.27

1,588(20.65)

 Richer

22.36

1,465(19.04)

 Richest

23.37

1,294(16.83)

Mothers age at birth

 Less than 25 years

30.96

3,000(39.00)

 25–34 years

25.39

3,431(44.60)

 35+

33.64

1,261(16.39)

Mothers level of education

 No education

31.5

5,141(66.84)

 Primary education

23.16

2,198(28.57)

 Secondary & higher

27.12

353(4.58)

Mothers has job

 No

26.81

3,486(45.32)

 Yes

30.66

4,206(54.68)

Mothers media exposed

 No

32.43

3,130(40.69)

 Yes

26.51

4,562(59.31)

ANC visit

 No visit

32.41

4,425(57.53)

 1–3 visits

26.31

1,816(23.60)

 > = 4 visits

21.52

1,451(18.86)

Delivery assistance

 Other person

29.9

6,739(87.61)

 Health personnel (Midwife, Nurse …)

21.97

953(12.39)

Mode of delivery

 Other mode

28.85

7,564(98.33)

 Caesarean delivery

32.67

128(1.67)

Place of delivery

 Health facility

21.86

875(11.37)

 Home

29.82

6,817(88.63)

Initiation of breastfeeding

 Early

16.16

4,043(52.56)

 Late

43.05

3,649(47.44)

Perceived size of child at birth

 Small

34.96

2,405(31.26)

 Middle

25.93

3,019(39.25)

 Large

26.47

2,268(29.49)

Sex of child

 Female

27.51

3,735(48.56)

 Male

30.24

3,956(51.44)

Birth order

 1^st

33.86

1,357(17.65)

 2nd and 3^rd

27.03

2,401(31.21)

 4^th+

28.36

3,934(51.14)

Community-level variables

Place of residence

 Urban

25.06

1,132(14.72)

 Rural

29.58

6,560(85.28)

Contextual region

 City dwellers

26.66

227(2.95)

 Agrarian

27.75

7,202(93.63)

 Pastoralist

62.65

263(3.42)

Community ANC utilization

 Low

38.04

2,515(32.70)

 Middle

25.83

4,326(56.24)

 High

17.65

851(11.06)

Community media exposure

 Low

37.00

1,582(20.57)

 Middle

27.00

5,315(69.10)

 High

21.00

795(10.33)

Community women average year of schooling

 Low

33.02

4,830(62.79)

 High

21.99

2,862(37.21)