Background: Breastfeeding (BF) practices remain the cornerstone to reduce infant and child morbidity and mortality.
Objective: This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and practices regarding BF among mothers of under-five children in a rural area of Jammu.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the mothers of under-five children residing in the rural area to determine their knowledge and practices level related to BF. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used as a tool to collect the information.
Results: Out of a total of 204 subjects interviewed, 76% were in 20-30 years age group. Knowledge regarding the exclusive BF was complete in 66.66% of mothers. 87.74% of the subjects knew that colostrum should be given to the newborns. Only 32.34% of them had a knowledge of exact age at which supplementary food to be initiated. Regarding practices, 44.11% of mothers had given colostrum to their newborns, 36.27% had not given any pre-lacteal feeds, 47.05% initiated BF within 1 h of delivery, and 50% gave supplementary feed at 6 months. Exclusive BF was practiced by 16.66%, 18.13%, and 13.72% of mothers for 2, 4, and 6 months, respectively.
Conclusions: Efforts need to be made to aware the women of benefits of BF, and there is a need for BF intervention programs selectively targeted at ante- and postnatal mothers so as to plug the gaps between knowledge and practices level.
Key words: Breastfeeding Practices; Exclusive Breastfeeding; Rural Area
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