Determinants of pre-lacteal feeding practice in Ethiopia: Evidence from the 2019 Mini Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS), a community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Every year, 10.9 million people die around the world. More than two-thirds of deaths were associated with inappropriate feeding practices. Within first three days after birth, nearly two out every five newborns are given fluids other breast milk. The aim this study was to assess determinants pre-lacteal practice in Ethiopia among mothers who had a live birth child under age 24 months. Methods: Secondary data from Ethiopia's 2019 Mini Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) used. A stratified, two-stage cluster sampling method employed MDHS. total 8,885 reproductive-age women interviewed survey, but only 2,061 years included. Our focused on details obtained for these women. Logistic regression analysis used identify factors practices them. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness fit test check model fitness multicollinearity diagnosis collinearity between independent variables. Results: results revealed that 12.1% (95%CI; 10.30%, 13.9%) practiced feeding. Mothers lived pastoralist regions (AOR:3.2; 95%CI: 1.5-6.84), hadn’t attended antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR:3.83; 1.55-6.27), 1-3 (AOR:1.65; 1.15-3.94), delivered at home (AOR:1.72, 1.20-2.43), those by Caesarean section (AOR:3.72; 2.32-5.96), started breastfeeding one hour (AOR:4.41; 3.23-6.02) identified as groups most feeding. Conclusions: Pre-lacteal significant number study. Living region, attending ANC visits, delivery, caesarean late initiation determinant prelacteal women.