Infant feeding practices at a tertiary care hospital in Hyderabad, Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Objective: To assess breastfeeding practices in children up to six months of age arriving at the Outpatient Department of Pediatrics, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, Pakistan.

Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional.

Place and duration: Outpatient Department of Pediatrics, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, Pakistan, from September 2022 to November 2022.

Materials and methods: A total of 350 participants, chosen by non-probability consecutive sampling, comprised the sample size. Data were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS v22.0. A Chi-square test was performed to analyze the association between socio-demographic variables and frequency of feeding. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Early initiation of breastfeeding (<1 h) was found only in 41.1% of the surveyed sample. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) up to 6 months was 37.4%. The practice of colostrum feeding in the mothers was found to be 64.5%. Working and stay-at-home mothers showed no statistically significant difference in providing 8 or more feeds in 24 hours.

Conclusion: Inadequate infant feeding practices were found among the surveyed sample. Particular emphasis should be given to educating mothers regarding early breastfeeding initiation.