Does the Place of Residence Affect the Achievement of Exclusive Breastfeeding? A Study in Eastern Indonesia

Abstract

Ratna Dwi Wulandari, Agung Dwi Laksono.

Eastern Indonesia is a region that often underperforms in the health sector. The study aims to analyze the effect of the place of residence to achieve exclusive breastfeeding in Eastern Indonesia. The study employed data from the 2017 Nutrition Status Monitoring Survey. Toddler (7-59 months) about 8,291 were sampled. Variables included were exclusive breastfeeding status, the place of residence, mother's age, mother's education level, mother's marital status, mother's employment status, toddler's age, and toddler's gender. The final stage employed a binary logistics regression. The research results show that toddlers living in urban areas were 1.149 times more likely than toddlers living in rural areas to achieve exclusive breastfeeding. The results of this analysis indicate that living in rural areas is a risk factor for toddlers not achieving exclusive breastfeeding in Eastern Indonesia. On the other hand, it was also found that all levels of education are more likely than those who do not go to school in Eastern Indonesia. Toddlers with employed mothers had 1.192 times the odds of toddlers with unemployed mothers achieving exclusive breastfeeding. Meanwhile, toddler's age was also found to significantly affect achieving exclusive breastfeeding in Eastern Indonesia. It was concluded that the place of residence affects the achievement of exclusive breastfeeding in Eastern Indonesia. Toddlers who live in urban areas have a better chance of achieving of exclusive breastfeeding.