Assessment of breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes and practices among postpartum women at a tertiary healthcare setting in Ahmedabad, Gujarat: implications for maternal and child health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20253084Keywords:
Breastfeeding knowledge, Breastfeeding attitude, Breastfeeding practice, Mother and child health, GujaratAbstract
Background: Breastfeeding is essential for a child’s overall health and development. Breast milk provides all the vital nutrients needed for growth and well- being while offering immunity against various infectious and non-infectious diseases. Ideal breastfeeding practices include early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years alongside complementary foods.
Methods: Women getting delivered at a tertiary care teaching hospital were surveyed and their responses were recorded on a detailed questionnaire. Appropriate analysis was performed to assess the awareness of breastfeeding.
Results: The sample of this study comprised of 150 mothers out of which maximum (60.67%) were in the age group of 18-26 years with mean age 26.2 years and standard deviation of 5.68. This study found that 85.33% of the mothers were aware of the importance of breastfeeding while only 56% of mothers were aware of the benefits of colostrum. A small proportion of mothers, specifically 6.67%, expressed fear that breastfeeding might alter their body image. Only 56.6% mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 hour of delivery while 92.66% mothers fed colostrum to their newborns.
Conclusions: This study revealed a general awareness of breastfeeding among participants but limited knowledge regarding benefits of colostrum. Early weaning is still being practiced and timely initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour after birth was not universally adhered to.
Metrics
References
World Health Organisation. Breastfeeding - a healthy start to life. Available at: https://www.who.int. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
UNICEF. Breastfeeding: The Best Possible Start in Life. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/india/stories/breastfeeding-best-possible-start-life. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
NHS. Benefits of breastfeeding. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding/benefits/. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
Schanler RJ, Johnston M, Landers S, Noble L. Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics. 2012;129(3):827–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-3552
World Health Organisation. Infant and young child feeding. Available at: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
Government of India, National family health survey-5 (NFHS-5)- India districts factsheet data. Available from: https://www.data.gov.in/catalog/national-family-health. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
UNICEF. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/documents/baby-friendly-hospital-initiative. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
National Health Mission. Mothers absolute affection Programme. Available at: https://nhm.gov.in. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
Omuemu VO, Adamu SA. Assessment of breastfeeding knowledge and practices among working mothers in the federal capital territory Nigeria. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2018;6(1):20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20185222
Mohapatra I, Roy A. Breastfeeding awareness and perception among antenatal mothers: A cross-sectional study in urban slum population of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. J Edu Health Promotion. 2018;7(1):60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_98_17
Maiti A, Sarangi L, Sahu SK, Mohanty SS. An assessment on breastfeeding and weaning practices in Odisha, India. Am J Public Health Res. 2015;3(4):49-52.
Tiwari V, Singh A. Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding breastfeeding in an urban area of Fazidabad district (UP). Indian J Prev Soc Med. 2007;38(1):18-22.
Al Ketbi MI, Al Noman S, Al Ali A, Darwish E, Al Fahim M, Rajah J. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of breastfeeding among women visiting primary healthcare clinics on the island of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Int Breastfeed J. 2018;13(1):26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-018-0165-x
Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding. Available at: https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/def. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
Kumar D, Agarwal N, Swami HM. Socio-demographic correlates of breast-feeding in urban slums of Chandigarh. Indian J Med Sci. 2006;60(11):461–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5359.27973
Chatterjee S, Saha S. A study on knowledge and practice of mothers regarding infant feeding and nutritional status of under-five children attending immunisation clinic of a medical college. The Internet J Nutr Welln. 2007;5(1):65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5580/26df
World Health Organisation. Early initiation of breastfeeding to promote exclusive breastfeeding. Available at: https://www.who.int/tools/elena/interventions/early-breastfeeding. Accessed on 5 April 2025.
Sanghvi AA, Pathak SD, Nanavaty DP, Mehta MS. Awareness of breast feeding practices amongst women visiting government hospital at Ahmedabad. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020;7(10):3872. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203977