An Exploratory Study On Knowledge Attitude And Practice Regarding Exclusive Breast Milk Feeding Among Mothers Residing In Selected Areas Of Kullu District Kullu Himachal Pradesh With A View To Develop Informational Booklet

Abstract

ABSTRACT newline newlineBackground: newline In India, exclusive breastfeeding increased from 46.4% in 2006 to 54.9% in 2016. Early initiation of breastfeeding almost doubled from 23.4% to 41.6% during the same period. In 2018, only 44.6% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth. More than half (64.9%) of babies are exclusively breastfed during the first 6 months, and only 50.5% of babies between 6 and 8 months are given complementary feeding. India s goal is to increase the rate of early initiation of breastfeeding to 90% by 2025. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first months of life is one such intervention, which has been recommended in view of established benefits of reducing the risks of morbidity and mortality in the first 6 months of life. newline newlineMaterial and Methods: newline A Non experimental exploratory research design was adopted to accomplish the objectives of the study to assess the knowledge attitude and practice regarding exclusive breast milk feeding among mothers residing in selected areas of Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. The sample size for the present study was 300 mothers Results: The study findings revealed that the association of knowledge, attitude and practice of study participants regarding exclusive breast feeding was not found to be statistically significant with any of the demographical factor studied except the educational qualification. newline newlineDiscussion and Conclusions newline Our results also revealed that Awareness campaigns accompanied by state-wide and national level efforts are necessary to address the heavy burden unawareness regarding breast feeding in India. Simultaneously, the capacity of health systems across urban and rural India must also be built up in order to sufficiently and effectively screen and provide support with education to the women. newline newlineKeywords: Exclusive Breast Milk Feeding, Mothers, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Informational Booklet. newline newline