The Influence of Education Level, Knowledge, and Socioeconomic Status of Breastfeeding Mothers on Exclusive Breastfeeding in Efforts to Prevent Stunting in Gampong Binjee, Nisam District, North Aceh Regency

Abstract

Exclusive breastfeeding is very important to support optimal infant growth and development; however, its coverage remains low and contributes to the high prevalence of stunting in Aceh. Data from Riskesdas 2018 show that Aceh Province ranks third highest in stunting prevalence in Indonesia at 37.3%, indicating that exclusive breastfeeding practices are still inadequate. This study aimed to analyze the influence of maternal education level, knowledge, and economic status on exclusive breastfeeding in Binjee Village, Nisam District, North Aceh.This study used a quantitative method involving all breastfeeding mothers or mothers with infants aged 0–2 years, with a total sample of 23 respondents. The results based on univariate and bivariate analysis showed that maternal education, knowledge, and economic status did not have a significant effect on exclusive breastfeeding. This may be due to the relatively homogeneous level of respondents’ knowledge (mostly low), resulting in limited data variation. In addition, maternal knowledge is more influenced by access to information, health education, and the social environment rather than education and income. The small sample size and the lack of evenly distributed educational exposure also contributed to the absence of a significant effect.Therefore, it is necessary to improve equitable health education, strengthen family support, and enhance the role of healthcare workers and government policies to increase the practice of exclusive breastfeeding.