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Infant- and young child-feeding practices in Bankura district, West Bengal, India

Apurba Sinhababu1, Dipta K Mukhopadhyay, Tanmay K Panja

  • 1Department of Community Medicine, B.S. Medical College, Bankura 722 102, West Bengal, India.

Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition
|July 20, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in West Bengal, India, show low rates of early and exclusive breastfeeding, and inadequate complementary feeding. These suboptimal infant feeding practices require urgent public health interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Nutrition
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are critical for child survival and development.
  • Suboptimal IYCF practices contribute to malnutrition and increased morbidity in children under two years.
  • Understanding local IYCF practices is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the current infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in Bankura district, West Bengal, India.
  • To identify key challenges and deficiencies in breastfeeding and complementary feeding.
  • To provide data for improving IYCF strategies in the region.

Main Methods:

  • A community-based, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in June-July 2008.
  • 647 children under two years were selected using revised 40-cluster sampling.
  • Indicators from the Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) and WHO were used.

Main Results:

  • Low proportions of early initiation of breastfeeding (13.6%) and exclusive breastfeeding under six months (57.1%).
  • Complementary feeding at 6-8 months was low (55.7%).
  • Appropriate feeding as per IMNCI protocol was significantly lower in older infants (6-11 months: 15.2%) and children (12-23 months: 8.7%) compared to infants <6 months (57.1%).

Conclusions:

  • Key issues identified include late breastfeeding initiation, low exclusive breastfeeding rates, and inappropriate complementary feeding.
  • Suboptimal complementary feeding frequency and amount likely contribute to poor feeding practices in older infants and young children.
  • There is a critical need to improve IYCF practices in Bankura district through targeted interventions.

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