Practices of Breastfeeding and Weaning Practices among Mothers of Children Up To 2 Years of Age
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) - Year 2017, Vol 16, Issue 10
Abstract
Objectives: 1 To assess the current practices of mothers regarding breastfeeding and weaning of their children up to 2 years of age attending Pediatrics OPD in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati. 2 To compare the knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers with respect to educational status. Design: Cross sectional study Setting: OPD of a tertiary care hospital. Participants: 536 mothers of children upto 2 years of age. Methods: 536 mothers of children aged upto 2 years were randomly selected from those attending the OPD. Relevant data were recorded in a proforma to be filled by interviewers. All the selected mothers were interviewed personally and information about their practice of breastfeeding and weaning was noted on a pretested proforma consisting of 37 items with subheading multiple choices in English. The questions were asked in local language and were duly explained in case of any difficulty in understanding or misinterpretation. Results: Out of the 536 mothers114were illiterates, 104 studied upto primary school, 166 upto class X, 152 were matriculate and above. 80.2% of the mothers initiated breastfeeding within one hour of birth and 64.3% of them continued exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age.It was seen that that mothers with higher education initiated breast feeding significantly earlier than that of mothers with lower education. The most common reason of early weaning was hungry/ crying baby whereas that of delayed weaning was ignorance of mothers. Exclusive breast feeding upto completed 6 months was seen in 65% of the mothers. It was seen that 73.9% continued breastfeeding beyond first 6 months. Early initiation and timely weaning was significant associated with level of education of the mothers. Conclusion: The present study shows a high percentage of mothers initiating breast feeding within one hour of delivery and exclusive breast feeding for six or more months. A clear association between level of maternal education and exclusive breast feeding and proper weaning is also seen. Breast feeding promotion strategies should be continued with the same vigour with long-term approaches to prioritizing education for women and girls should be explored.
Authors and Affiliations
Dr. Nishant Agarwal, DrGayatri Bezboruah
Keywords
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- EP ID EP243659
- DOI 10.9790/0853-1610056973
- Views 76
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