Table 1.
Comparison of characteristics of the Kenyan mothers and households between the exclusively breastfed and the nonexclusively breastfed groups
| Characteristic | All | EBF | Non‐EBF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age* | 26.0 ± 6.6 | 26.3 ± 6.0 | 25.4 ± 8.8 |
| <25 years | 53 (43.1) | 37 (38.9) | 16 (57.1) |
| ≥25 years | 70 (56.9) | 58 (61.1) | 12 (42.9) |
| Parity† | |||
| One | 27 (20.1) | 20 (20.6) | 7 (22.6) |
| Two or more | 101 (78.9) | 77 (79.4) | 24 (77.4) |
| Level of education‡ | |||
| None | 40 (32) | 31 (32.6) | 9 (30) |
| Primary | 71 (56.8) | 51 (53.7) | 20 (66.7) |
| Post‐primary | 14 (11.2) | 13 (13.7) | 1 (3.3) |
| Marital status‡ | |||
| Single | 10 (8) | 6 (6.3) | 4 (13.3) |
| Married | 106 (84.8) | 83 (87.4) | 23 (76.7) |
| Separated | 6 (4.8) | 4 (4.2) | 2 (6.7) |
| Widowed | 3 (2.4) | 2 (2.1) | 1 (3.3) |
| Source of income‡ | |||
| None | 43 (34.4) | 33 (34.7) | 10 (33.3) |
| Salaried employment | 4 (3.2) | 4 (4.2) | 0 (0) |
| Self‐employed | 21 (16.8) | 16 (16.8) | 5 (16.7) |
| Farming | 57 (45.6) | 42 (44.2) | 15 (50) |
| Improved water source‡ | |||
| Yes | 90 (72) | 71 (74.7) | 19 (63.3) |
| No | 35 (28) | 24 (25.3) | 11 (36.7) |
Note. Mean ± SD or n (%). EBF = exclusive breastfeeding.
*
n = 123, five mothers missing age data, six mothers had twins therefore included once in analysis;
†
n = 128, six mothers had twins therefore included once in analysis;
‡
n = 125, three mothers missing data on education level, marital status, income source and improved water source.