A study of breast-feeding practices among rural women

Introduction: Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growthand development of infants. As per the national family health survey-3 (NFHS-3), only 46% of theIndian infants between 0 and 6 months are exclusively breastfed. Hence the following study wasdone to know the practice of breastfeeding in mothers of rural and urban areas of India. Materialsand Methods: The study was conducted in a rural and urban area, which is under theadministrative control of a tertiary care hospital. All lactating mothers having babies up to 1 yearwere included in the study. Results: The mean age was 26.73 years (SD = 2.53), and 40.4 % ofmothers were below 20-24 years of age. A large proportion (77.8%) were of the Hindu faith. Mostmothers had education beyond primary school. 35.1% of participants were mothers of 2 or morechildren. A large percentage (74.7%) of study participants were delivered in a hospital. Exclusivebreastfeeding was practiced by 73.1% of mothers. 78.3% of a mother gave first breast milk i.e.colostrum to their new-borns. Still, 46.3% of mothers feed their child with honey, Ghutti, plainwater, artificial milk, sugar water, etc., before starting breastfeeding. Conclusions: The counselingshould be continued after the delivery of the baby for continuous education to the mother about theproper care of newborn, initiation of breastfeeding, the information regarding the advantages andduration of breastfeeding, the importance of colostrum feeding, the timing of weaning needs to beprovided