Abstract
Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. The WHO recommends that for the first six months of life, infants should be exclusively breastfed to achieve optimal growth, development, and health. With the primary objective to identify breast feeding practices in mothers of infants 1-6 month of age, this cross-sectional study was conducted in three slums of three different districts of Delhi. A sample of 425 infants (1-6 months of age) and their mothers was selected by multi-stage sampling and primary data was collected over a period of 3 months from October 2018 to December 2018 by interviewing the mothers using a structured interview schedule. It was found that breastfeeding was initiated within one hour of birth in 39.6 % of the infants, Colostrum was given to 80.0 percent of the infants and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding was found to be 66.4 percent, which is much less than the desired optimal practice. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that more focus should be given on interpersonal communication, health education and social and behaviour change communication regarding breastfeeding practices at different levels and orientation and training of health personnel regarding optimal breastfeeding practices should be reemphasized.
Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Infant, Colostrum, Prelacteal feed, Health education.
References
- Status of Infant and Young Child Feeding in Districts of India. A National Report of the quantitative study: Background article of Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India.2003. pp 6-8.
- Park. Park’s Textbook of preventive and social medicine. 2017. 24th edition, Bhanot publication.Jabalpur
- Abedi P, Jahanfar S, Namwar F, Lee J. Breastfeeding or nipple stimulation for reducing postpartum haemorrhage in the third stage of labour. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Review(1).2016.CD010845.doi:10,1002/14651858.PMID26816300
- Miller LJ, La Russo EM. Preventing postpartum depression. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2011.34(1):53-65. Doi:10.1016/j.psc.2010.11.010.PMID21333839
- Krishnamurthy A, Soundara V, Ramshankar V. "Preventive and Risk Reduction Strategies for Women at High Risk of Developing Breast Cancer: a Review". Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention .2016. 17 (3) 895-904. PMID 27039715
- Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, Chew P, Magula N, DeVine D, Trikalinos T, Lau J. Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). April 2007. pp. 1–186. PMID17764214
- Rollins NC, et al. Lancet Breastfeeding Series: Why invest, and what it will take to improve breastfeeding practices in less than a generation. Lancet 2016; 387: 491–504
- Exclusive breastfeeding for six months best for babies everywhere’. Geneva. World Health Organization.2011. Available from internet. URL: http://www.who.int. Accessed on 2 April 2019
- Global Targets 2025.Global Nutrition Target 2025: Policy brief. Geneva. World Health Organisation. Available from internet URL: https://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/. Accessed on 2 April 2019
- World Breastfeeding Week. Available from URL:https://worldbreastfeedingweek.org accessed on 2 April 2019
- IYCF data. Available from internet. URL: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/ Accessed on 3 April 2019
- National Family Health Survey-4. Available from internet URL: Rchiips.org/nfhs/research1.html. Accessed on 3 April 2019.
- Acharya R, Meena RR . A descriptive cross-sectional study of breast-feeding practice in Bikaner, Rajasthan. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health. 2016;5:1559-1562.
- Shaili V, Sharma P, Kandpal S, Semwal J, Srivastava A, Nautiyal V; A community based study on breastfeeding practices in a rural area of uttarakhand; National Journal of Community Medicine 2012 Vol 3 Issue 2 April-June 2012
- National Guidelines for Infant and Young Child Feeding. 2004. Department of Women and Child Development. Ministry of Human Resource Development. Government of India.
- Khan AM, Kayina P, Agrawal P, Gupta A, Khanna AT. A Study on Infant and Young Child Feeding practices among mothers attending an urban health centre in East Delhi. Indian Journal of Public Health.2012;56:301-4
- Mise PJ, Mise AJ, Mise SJ, Siddappa M. Study of breastfeeding practices and problems among postnatal mothers: a hospital based study. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology; 2017 Aug;6(8):3343-6
Corresponding Author
Dr Rabi Bhushan
The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka, New Delhi- 110067
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v7i9.12
