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Understanding the Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Urban Indonesian Mothers

Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia · Vol. 21 No. 1 (2025) · pp. 33–42

DOI
10.30597/mkmi.v21i1.42145
ISSN
2356-4067, 0216-2482
Published
2025-03-31
Publisher
Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, Makassar
Language
en
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Abstract

Despite WHO recommendations advocating for Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for the initial six months, EBF rates remain low in many countries, including Indonesia. This study identifies psychosocial, socioeconomic, and demographic factors influencing EBF practices in Semarang City. Methods: A quasi-experimental design involved 157 participants (98 mother-infant pairs and 49 peers) recruited from various public health centres from December 2023 to June 2024. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve, in conjunction with the log-rank test, was employed to assess the disparities in survival and the observed practices of EBF. The determinants of EBF duration were found using the cox proportional hazard ratio. Results: The mean duration of EBF was 18 weeks, a number of 33.7% of mothers did not complete full six months. Key findings reveal that peer support, maternal knowledge, attitudes, skills, education level, and employment status significantly influence EBF duration. Mothers who received peer support had greater EBF resilience compared to those who did not received peer support (HR 0,32, CI:0.197,0.528). Practical skill, favourable attitudes, and high knowledge were also important indicators of sustained EBF. Conversely, being a working mother and having lower education level increased the risk of early EBF cessation. Conclusions: The results emphasize the necessity of focused, context-specific interventions to promote EBF in urban areas. These insights carry implications for policy and program development aimed to enhance health consequences for mother and children. Further research in diverse socio-demographic contexts is recommended to better understand and support effective EBF practices.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

14 authors · 30 co-authorship links · 11 across different organisations

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • Diponegoro University
  • Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Semarang
  • Universitas Indonesia Maju
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Bina KurniawanDiponegoro University1
Yuliani SetyaningsihDiponegoro University1
Nurjazuli NurjazuliDiponegoro University1
Nurul FadhilahDiponegoro University1
Daru LestantyoDiponegoro University1
Sri WinarniDiponegoro University1
Sabariah Abd HamidAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad HafizurrachmanAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/mkmi/oai, first harvested 5 Nov 2026, last seen 5 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Understanding the Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Urban Indonesian Mothers</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Irmawati, Irmawati</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rahfiludin, Mohammad Zen</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Golo, Zefan Adiputra</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Windari, Adhani</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Rum, Malihah Ramadhani</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Hartono, Risky Kusuma</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Exclusive Breastfeeding</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Urban Mothers</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Breastfeeding Barriers</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Peer Support</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Knowledge</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">Despite WHO recommendations advocating for Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for the initial six months, EBF rates remain low in many countries, including Indonesia. This study identifies psychosocial, socioeconomic, and demographic factors influencing EBF practices in Semarang City. Methods: A quasi-experimental design involved 157 participants (98 mother-infant pairs and 49 peers) recruited from various public health centres from December 2023 to June 2024. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve, in conjunction with the log-rank test, was employed to assess the disparities in survival and the observed practices of EBF. The determinants of EBF duration were found using the cox proportional hazard ratio. Results: The mean duration of EBF was 18 weeks, a number of 33.7% of mothers did not complete full six months. Key findings reveal that peer support, maternal knowledge, attitudes, skills, education level, and employment status significantly influence EBF duration. Mothers who received peer support had greater EBF resilience compared to those who did not received peer support (HR 0,32, CI:0.197,0.528). Practical skill, favourable attitudes, and high knowledge were also important indicators of sustained EBF. Conversely, being a working mother and having lower education level increased the risk of early EBF cessation. Conclusions: The results emphasize the necessity of focused, context-specific interventions to promote EBF in urban areas. These insights carry implications for policy and program development aimed to enhance health consequences for mother and children. Further research in diverse socio-demographic contexts is recommended to better understand and support effective EBF practices.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, Makassar</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-03-31</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/mkmi/article/view/42145</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.30597/mkmi.v21i1.42145</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia; Vol. 21 No. 1: MARCH 2025; 33-42</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2356-4067</dc:source>
	<dc:source>0216-2482</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.30597/mkmi.v21i1</dc:source>
	<dc:language>en</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/mkmi/article/view/42145/13236</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2025 by author</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>