Open AccessDeterminants of Exclusive Breastfeeding among Mothers in Rawalpindi: A Cross Sectional Study
Author(s) -
Sara Bashir Kant,
Humaira Mahmood,
Masood Ur Rehman,
Misha Anis,
Assad Hafeez
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pakistan journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2226-7018
pISSN - 2225-0891
DOI - 10.32413/pjph.v10i2.234
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , breast feeding , cross sectional study , pediatrics , birth order , breast milk , demography , family medicine , environmental health , population , biochemistry , chemistry , pathology , sociology
Background: Exclusive Breast Feeding is one of the most cost effective and simple ways to ensure child health and survival and is the single most instrumental intervention that leads to decreased child mortality and morbidity. This study was done to determine the frequency of exclusive breast feeding among mothers in rural Rawalpindi and to determine the frequency of factors affecting exclusive breast feeding among mothers in rural Rawalpindi.Methods: It was a descriptive cross- sectional study, conducted in 6 months in Union Council Mandra, from November 2014 to April 2015. A sample size of 245was selected through non-probability consecutive sampling. Data was collected on a structured questionnaire from mothers visiting the RHC Mandra facility after taking informed consent. Data was analyzed in the statistical software SPSS 10.Results: The frequency of Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) determined in the study was 52.2%. 29% mothers had primary level education, 52.7% had deliveries in the public hospitals and 46.5% were house wives. The birth order, age of the child, number of antenatal visits, birth wt. and mode of delivery (p 0.05).Conclusion: Health education by health professionals during antenatal period to initiate and maintain exclusive breast feeding should be strengthened by focusing more on the nutritional aspects of the newborn babies and its benefits in the later life.