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Infant feeding practices among patients of pediatricians and general practitioners
Insights
Delayed breastfeeding initiation and early bottle feeding are common in India, impacting infant nutrition. Improved education and behavioral changes are crucial for realizing the benefits of breastfeeding.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition
Background:
- Breastfeeding is vital for infant health and development.
- Understanding current infant feeding practices is essential for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document infant feeding practices among patients of pediatricians and general practitioners in India.
- To identify deviations from recommended infant feeding guidelines.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study conducted over one month.
- Data collected from 10,374 infants using a pre-printed proforma.
- Recorded initiation of breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and solid food introduction.
Main Results:
- Delayed breastfeeding initiation (beyond 24 hours) in nearly half of infants.
- Bottle feeding introduced by 4 months in over half of infants.
- Solid foods introduced after 8 months in almost half of infants.
- Only 20% of women practiced exclusive breastfeeding until 4-6 months.
Conclusions:
- Significant gaps exist between current infant feeding practices and recommendations in India.
- Suboptimal breastfeeding and early introduction of other foods require urgent attention.
- Extensive education and behavioral modification are necessary to optimize breastfeeding benefits.
Abstract:
In an attempt to document the infant feeding practices among patients of pediatricians and general practitioners, a study was carried over a period of one month and data of 10,374 infants were recorded using a pre-printed proforma marked by a simple 'tick' for each patient. The results showed: (i) initiation of breastfeeding was delayed in nearly half of the cases beyond 24 hours; (ii) introduction of bottle feeding in more than half of infants by the age of 4 months and (iii) introduction of solid foods later than eight months in almost half of infants. While breastfeeding is practised by 78% of women, only one in five practice exclusive breastfeeding till 4-6 months, and very few avoid bottle feeds. Much education and change in behaviour is needed if optimal benefit of breastfeeding in India is to be realised.
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