Knowledge and attitude amongst well-to-do adolescent school girls towards breast feeding

A study was conducted to determine the knowledge and attitude about breastfeeding amongst adolescent school girls (n = 74) studying in an urban public school in Delhi. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was administered. The majority of respondents had correct knowledge about the age of initiation of breast feeding (76%), introduction of semi-solid foods (61%), feeding of colostrum (58%) and superiority of breast milk over commercial preparations of milk (81%). Most believed wrongly that consumption of dry fruits (89%) and high intake of milk and pure ghee (78%) would increase breast milk secretion. The percentages of girls wrongly believing that breast feeding should be discontinued if mother was suffering from tuberculosis, malaria and diarrhea were 96, 85 and 81 respectively. There is need for including adolescent girls in continuing education activities about maternal and child health.