Table 2 Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among children aged 0–1, 2–3, and 4–5 months in Tanzania at a regional level from a generalized linear mixed model with EA nested in regions as random factors

Sex of an infant

Male

1

1

1

1

1

Female

0.9 (0.4,1.8)

0.688

0.9(0.4,2.2)

0.79

1.6 (0.7, 3.5)

0.241

1.5(0.7,3.4)

0.344

0.8 (0.4, 1.6)

0.512

0.8 (0.4,1.7)

0.588

Age of the mother

Less than 18

1

1

1

1

1

1

18–24

2.6 (0.5,12.7)

0.249

1.9 (0.3,12.9)

0.53

0.7 (0.1,6)

0.768

0.8 (0.1,7.4)

0.868

3.3 (0.5, 19.7)

0.196

3.1 (0.5, 20)

0.222

25+

3(0.6,14.6)

0.166

2.7(0.4,18.2)

0.313

2(0.2,16.1)

0.515

2.1 (0.2,18.8)

0.518

2.5 (0.4, 14.8)

0.309

2.5 (0.4, 15.3)

0.323

Wealth index

Lowest

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Lower

0.5 (0.1,1.6)

0.221

0.4(0.1,1.4)

0.147

1.4 (0.5,4.3)

0.541

1.1 (0.3,3.5)

0.895

2.7 (0.8, 8.7)

0.103

2.1 (0.6, 7.2)

0.218

Middle

1 (0.3,3.8)

1

0.9(0.2,4.1)

0.927

2.1(0.6,7.2)

0.219

1.3 (0.4,5)

0.68

2.2 (0.7, 7)

0.193

1.4 (0.4, 5.0)

0.549

Higher

1.2(0.3,4.4)

0.774

1.8(0.3,9.1)

0.494

1 (0.3,3.7)

0.94

1.5 (0.4, 6.6)

0.566

3.1 (1, 10.1)

0.054

2.3 (0.6, 9.2)

0.212

Highest

0.8(0.2,3.4)

0.733

1.5 (0.2,12.7)

0.683

2.6(0.5,12.5)

0.246

4.3 (0.4, 44.8)

0.227

1.6 (0.4, 6)

0.497

0.9 (0.1, 6.1)

0.9

Residence

Urban

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Rural

1.6 (0.5,4.3)

0.377

3.7(0.9,15.9)

0.079

2.4(0.8,7.5)

0.135

3.2 (0.8,13.5)

0.11

1.1 (0.4, 2.8)

0.866

1 (0.3, 3.6)

0.97

Literacy level

Cannot read at all

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Able to read only parts of a sentence

5.5(0.5,60.5)

0.164

8.9(0.6,123.2)

0.108

0.1(0.02,0.9)

0.041

0.1 (0.02,0.9)

0.042

1.3 (0.3, 6.6)

0.729

1.2 (0.2,6.6)

0.819

Able to read whole sentence

1.3(0.5,3.4)

0.528

1.4 (0.5,4.2)

0.541

2.7(1,7)

0.045

3.2 (1.1,8.8)

0.029

1.8 (0.8, 4.2)

0.159

1.6 (0.6, 3.9)

0.356

Working status

For family member/Someone else

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Not working

1.1(0.4,3.3)

0.865

0.6(0.2,1.8)

0.411

0.9(0.4,2.2)

0.83

1.05 (0.4,2.7)

0.921

2 (0.8, 5)

0.122

1.6 (0.6, 4)

0.322

Self-employed

0.8(0.3,1.9)

0.602

1.2(0.3,4)

0.799

0.3 (0.1,0.8)

0.02

0.3 (0.1, 0.9)

0.038

1 (0.3,2.9)

0.989

0.8 (0.3, 2.5)

0.737

Assisted by a nurse

No

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Yes

1 (0.4,2.4)

0.997

0.9 (0.3,2.7)

0.856

1.2 (0.5,3)

0.628

1.4 (0.5, 3.6)

0.53

2.3 (1.1, 5)

0.038

2.1 (0.9, 5)

0.078

Frequency of listening to radio

Not at all

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Less than a week

2(0.7,5.7)

0.21

2(0.5,7.3)

0.306

1.1(0.4,3)

0.907

1 (0.3, 3.1)

0.947

1 (0.4,2.7)

0.957

0.8 (0.3,2.5)

0.746

At least once a week

1.5(0.5,4)

0.448

1.3(0.4,4.7)

0.644

0.8 (0.3,2.2)

0.688

0.5 (0.2, 1.5)

0.228

1.3 (0.5,3.5)

0.612

0.9 (0.3,2.7)

0.8

Frequency of watching TV

Not at all

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Less than a week

2.4 (0.8,7.2)

0.123

2(0.5,7)

0.299

0.6 (0.2,1.7)

0.386

0.5 (0.2, 1.6)

0.246

1 (0.4, 2.4)

0.921

0.9 (0.3,2.6)

0.91

At least once a week

1.1(0.3,3.8)

0.853

0.9(0.2,4.4)

0.943

1.2 (0.4,4)

0.733

0.6 (0.1, 3.2)

0.545

1 (0.3,2.7)

0.927

1.3 (0.3,5.7)

0.767

Random factors

Region

40% (19%,65%)

17% (5–41%)

4.13E-33

EA nested in a region

66% (41%,85%)

63% (41–81%)

40% (16%, 70%)