Knowledge of infant feeding practices among mothers delivered in a tertiary care hospital, Kakinada, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

The objective of the study was to study the knowledge and practice regarding infant feeding. It also evaluated the influence of certain maternal factors in these practices.The details of the study are as follows:- Study design: Crosssectional study,Study area: Government General Hospital, Kakinada, E.G.Dt. Study period: Nov& Dec 2012 Study subjects: 600 mothers Study tool: Pre -designed ,semi-structured questionnaire Data analysis: SPSS soft ware trial version 17 Test of significance: Chi-square. The results showed that sge of all mothers ranged between 16-37 yrs. Majority (81%)of mothers from Hindu & nuclear family(64%). More than 50% of mothers are working. Nearly half (49%)of the mothers belong to low SES.Most (79%) of mothers were unaware that PLF should not be given .Many of them (46%) were not having the knowledge of importance of giving colostrum . Awareness regarding EIBF was found in only 42.7%.Majority(84%) of the mothers do not know about exclusive breast feeding. Awareness regarding the introduction of complementary feeds was only 20.6% Complementary feeding is not introduced at the right age(5-6 months) by majority of the mothers though they have knowledge. (p < 0.001)Mothers awareness of avoiding pre-lacteal feeds is increased with increase in educational status (p < 0.001) Key words:infant feeding practices ,Early Initiation of Breast Feeding(EIBF),Socio-Economic Status(SES) Exclusive Breast Feeding(EBF), Pre-Lacteal Feeds (PLF).