Table 1 Socio-demographic and economic characteristics of the study participants by breast feeding Status, Kersa district, east Ethiopia, 2011

Mother’s age ( years)

  15-34

744

208 (85.6)

536 (86.9)

  35–49

116

35 (14.4)

81 (13.1)

Mean age (± standard deviation )

860

27.1 (5.6)

26.7 (5.6)

Mother’s residence

  Rural

745

217 (89.3)

528 (85.6)

  Semi-urban

115

26 (10.7)

89 (14.4)

Mother’s education

  Illiterate

727

215 (88.5)

512 (83.0)

  Literate

133

28 (11.5)

105 (17.0)

Marital status

  Currently unmarried ^¥

27

13 (5.3)

14 (2.3)

  Married

833

230 (94.7)

603 (97.7)

Mother’s occupation

  Farmers

538

150 (61.7)

388 (62.9)

  Others^£

322

93 (38.3)

229 (37.1)

Father’s education

123 (53.5)

319 (52.9)

  Illiterate

442

107 (46.5)

284 (47.1)

  literate

391

Father’s occupation

220 (95.7)

568 (94.2)

  Farmers

788

10 (4.3)

35 (5.8)

  Others ^£

45

Household SEP

  Lowest

171

40 (16.5)

131 (21.2)

  Second

173

57 (23.5)

116 (18.8)

  Middle

172

37 (15.2)

135 (21.9)

  Fourth

172

50 (20.6)

122 (19.8)

  Highest

172

59 (24.3 )

113 (18.3)

Food security status

  Food insecure

397

93 (38.3)

304 (49.3)

  Food secure

463

150 (61.7)

313 (50.7)

Sex of the child

  Male

447

124 (51.0)

323 (52.4)

  Female

413

119 (49)

294 (47.6)

Age of the child ( in months)

  6-11

251

70 (28.8)

181 (29.3)

  12-23

609

173 (71.2)

436 (70.7)

Mean age of the child (±SD)

860

14.3 (4.7)

13.6 (4.5)