Table 1 Socioeconomic characteristics of study participants attending health institutions in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia, 2022 (n = 220)
Characteristics | Frequency (n) | Percent (%) |
|---|---|---|
Age category of caregiver | ||
 < 20 | 8 | 3.6 |
 20–30 | 130 | 59.1 |
 31–40 | 70 | 31.8 |
 > 40 | 12 | 5.5 |
Sex of caregivers | ||
 Male | 33 | 15 |
 Female | 187 | 85 |
Occupation of caregivers | ||
 Housewife | 118 | 53.6 |
 Merchant | 27 | 12.3 |
 Farmer | 1 | 0.5 |
 Labor work | 16 | 7.3 |
 Government employee | 51 | 23.2 |
 Student | 7 | 3.2 |
Relation of caregivers to the child | ||
 Mother | 168 | 76.4 |
 Father | 30 | 13.6 |
 Sibling | 11 | 5 |
 Homemaker | 4 | 1.8 |
 Grandparents | 7 | 3.2 |
Sex of babies | ||
 Male | 117 | 53.2 |
 Female | 103 | 46.8 |
Age (per month) of babies | ||
 0–5 | 78 | 35.5 |
 6–8 | 54 | 24.5 |
 9–24 | 88 | 40 |
Medical reasons to visit health institutions | ||
 Vaccination | 72 | 32.7 |
 Gastrointestinal illness | 65 | 29.5 |
 Respiratory illness | 49 | 22.3 |
 Febrile illness | 27 | 12.3 |
 Skin and soft tissue disease | 3 | 1.4 |
 Others | 4 | 1.8 |
Educational status | ||
 Illiterate | 56 | 25.5 |
 Reading and writing only | 28 | 12.7 |
 Primary school | 52 | 23.6 |
 Secondary school | 38 | 17.3 |
 College/university | 46 | 20.9 |
Estimated monthly income of the family | ||
 500–1000 | 16 | 7.3 |
 1001–2000 | 52 | 23.6 |
 2001–3000 | 47 | 21.4 |
 3001–4000 | 17 | 7.7 |
 4001–5000 | 32 | 14.5 |
 > 5000 | 56 | 25.5 |
Source of drinking water | ||
 Ground well | 6 | 2.7 |
 Tap water | 200 | 90.9 |
 Public tap | 14 | 6.4 |
Access to electricity | ||
 Yes | 220 | 100 |
 No | 0 | 0 |
Access to refrigerator | ||
 Yes | 132 | 60 |
 No | 88 | 40 |
Access to toilet | ||
 Yes | 220 | 100 |
 No | 0 | 0 |
Who (type of caregiver) prepared the bottle food | ||
 Mother | 188 | 85.5 |
 Father | 6 | 2.7 |
 Sibling | 13 | 5.9 |
 Housemaid | 5 | 2.3 |
 Grandparents | 8 | 3.6 |
Source of bottle food preparation information | ||
 Family or friends | 161 | 73.2 |
 Health provider | 34 | 15.5 |
 PIF tin label | 25 | 11.4 |
Hand washing prior to bottle food preparation | ||
 No, I don’t wash | 103 | 46.8 |
 Yes, with water only | 29 | 13.2 |
 Yes, with water and soap | 88 | 40 |
Water used for the preparation of bottle food | ||
 Tap water | 154 | 70 |
 Boiled water | 42 | 19.1 |
 Bottled water | 9 | 4.1 |
 Public tap water | 13 | 5.9 |
 Home filtered water | 2 | 0.9 |
Bottle food storage temperature | ||
 At ambient temperature | 137 | 62.3 |
 Refrigerator temperature | 83 | 37.3 |
Storage duration of prepared bottle food | ||
 < 6 h | 109 | 49.5 |
 > 6 h | 101 | 50.5 |
Fate (handling) of leftover | ||
 Reuse | 120 | 54.5 |
 Discard | 94 | 42.7 |
 Consume by other children | 6 | 2.7 |
Number of interchangeable bottles | ||
 No extra bottle | 96 | 43.6 |
 Two bottles | 63 | 28.6 |
 Three bottles | 61 | 27.7 |
 More than three | 0 | 0 |
Method of bottle washing practice | ||
 Rinsing with plain water only | 102 | 46.4 |
 Washing using water and soap | 74 | 33.6 |
 Washing using water, soap, and brush | 44 | 20 |
Frequency of washing the feeding bottle | ||
 Once a day | 94 | 42.7 |
 Twice a day | 46 | 20.9 |
 Three times a day | 41 | 18.6 |
 Before/after each feed | 39 | 17.7 |
Methods of bottle and nipple sterilization | ||
 Boiling for ten minutes | 98 | 44.5 |
 Rinsing or soaking with/in boiled water | 88 | 40 |
 Never disinfect/sterilize | 34 | 15.5 |