Trends and associated factors of bottle-feeding in Turkey: dramatic change over the last three decades under the limited implemented code

The study aimed to examine the trends and associated factors of bottle-feeding among children aged 0-35 months. Data covering 11,205 mother-child pairs, from six recent Turkey Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHSs) were analyzed by using complex sample crosstabs and logistic regression. Bottle-feeding was on an upward trend from 33.0% to 51.5% from 1993 to 2013 and fell slightly 47.9% in 2018. Increasing trends of bottle-feeding were found in children aged 6-35 months, the East region, lower wealth index, maternal education under 5 years, Kurdish mothers, and the low antenatal care attendance. Multivariate analysis using data from TDHS-2018 showed that young maternal age, low birth weight and being 6-23 months of age were associated with higher rates of bottle-feeding. The prolonged bottle-feeding became widespread, and the bottle-feeding was common even in 35-month-old children. Interventions by the Government and stakeholders to minimize low rates of bottle-feeding should focus on high-risk groups.

Automated summary

The study analyzed data from six recent Turkey Demographic and Health Surveys to examine the trends and factors associated with bottle-feeding among children aged 0-35 months. The results showed an increasing trend of bottle-feeding from 33.0% to 51.5% between 1993 and 2013, with a slight decrease to 47.9% in 2018. Factors such as region, wealth index, maternal education, antenatal care attendance, maternal age, and birth weight were found to be associated with bottle-feeding. The study highlights the need for interventions targeting high-risk groups to reduce the low rates of bottle-feeding.