Background: Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. A lack of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first 6 months of life contributes to over a million avoidable child deaths each year.
Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of EBF and to assess the knowledge and practices about breastfeeding.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted for a period of 18-month in Sembakkam village. Universal sampling was employed based on the prevalence study, and the sample size was 334. All women with children between 6 and 24 months of age were included as study participants after obtaining written informed consent. Data entry was done in Microsoft Excel, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23. Chi-square test was used for testing the association at P = 0.05.
Results: The prevalence of EBF among the mothers was observed to be 69.1% whereas 30.9% did not practice EBF for their children up to the recommended period. Further, parameters such as educational status, socioeconomic status, occupation, mode, and place of delivery had a significant impact on the prevalence of EBF, and they were statistically significant.
Conclusion: The prevalence of EBF in this study was 69.1%. The study participants had good knowledge about breastfeeding though some gaps were observed with regard to their practices. The study clearly emphasized the importance of increasing awareness among pregnant women about breastfeeding and even gave impetus on the necessity of family supporting breastfeeding for the recommended duration.
Key words: Breastfeeding; Colostrum; Infant; Tamil Nadu
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