Aim of Study

AIM OF STUDY
Global movements towards protecting ,encouraging and supporting breast milk as a part
of optimal feeding practices among infants has been emphasized since many years however
there is incongruence between what is recommended and what is practiced in reality.
Therefore, the present study aims at identifying the KAP of breastfeeding among lactating
mothers with children less than 2 years of age. EBF is estimated to prevent approximately one
tenth of child deaths and could play an important role in meeting India’s Millennium
Development Goal 8 of reducing child mortality. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding
upto 6months, in the current study the importance to exclusive breastfeeding was given by
91.4% oflactating women; however only 15.7% were knowledgeable about practising EBF up
to6months whereas 42.8 % felt it should bepractised for less than 6 months. A study in Ambo
Ethiopia found 90.8 % of mothers wereknowledgeable about EBF [8] and a Nigerian study
showed the majority (88.0 %) of the respondentshad heard about EBF. [9] However a
studyundertaken in Punjab reports 42.8% rate of EBF whereas findings from another study are
similar which report exclusive breastfeeding for therecommended duration and early initiation
ofbreastfeeding to be poor in Indian scenario. [10] In another study 41.4% of lactating mothers
feltthe need to continue breastfeeding even after 6months which highlights the unawareness
relatedto initiation of supplementary feeds throughweaning at age 6 months.
The benefits of breast feeding werelargely accepted by majority of lactating mothers,
wherein 78% felt it improved immunity, 250(71.4%)% had knowledge about colostrums but
mother believe that it should be discarded ,notbeneficial for the child and A proportion
150(42.8%) of studied mothers didn’t feelcomfort when they give extra foods other than
breast, some mother 100 (28.7%) agreed withthat child on EBF is healthier than who is not. In
Singh et al: Breastfeeding among lactating mothers DOI:10.18311/ijmds/2018/18906
IJMDS ● www.ijmds.org ● January 2018; 7(1) 1592
this study even though only 42.8 % believed thatEBF is enough up to 6 months, the majority of
mothers (57.4 %) preferred to feed their childbreast milk only and a study in Debre Birhan
Ethiopia which found 97.5 % of mothers had apositive attitude towards EBF. [11] The findings of
this study showed a higher number of motherswith a favourable attitude towards EBF than in
Southern Ethiopia (56.7 % of mothers had afavourable attitude towards EBF) [12] and in
Nigeria (50 % of women had a positive attitudetowards breastfeeding).In the present study a
total of 57.4%lactating mothers provided breast milk as the firstfeed for the child. 57.4 % gave
pre lacteal feeds,this finding is high from the other studies, in one
of the studies and a study reported almost doublei.e. 32% prelacteal feeds given to
infantsinKerala, [13] Providing the infant with pre-lactealfeeds is a custom practised in most of
the ruralsections of India. Pre lacteal feeds mostly ashoney or sugar water happen to be the
mostcommon feeds seen in the present study as wellas reported in the study conducted by
Mandal etal. 2007. [14] It is believed that pre lacteal feedsact as laxatives in clearing the
meconium. Sadly,the mothers are not aware that the pre-lactealfeeds that could be a source of
contamination. Itwas observed that the initiation of breastfeedingthin one hour was undertaken
by 42.8% oflactating women which is almost double ascompared to the national average of
23.4%.(NFHS-3). [15]Lactating mothers although they haveheard about EBF, but not aware about
thetechnique of EBF, Sadly still the lactating motherfollowing the prelactactal feed, and they
knowthat chances of infection is at peak but of theirold belief still they are promoting this habit
ofprelactal feed, although they know theimportance of colostrums but still they discard it.
This study was to explore mothers’ knowledge and attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding
and how they influence its practice
3AIMS OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this research was to find out the knowledge and attitude of mothers
towardsexclusive breastfeeding and how it is practiced in Techiman-Ghana.
Specifically, the study aims were:
 To investigate the knowledge about the concepts, recommendations and benefits of

exclusive breastfeeding.
 To understand the social, cultural and religious influences on their outlook of
exclusive breastfeeding.
 To explore their confidence, satisfaction and social support a mother receives
towards practicing exclusive breastfeeding and the associated challenges.

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AIM OF STUDY

Specifically, the study aims were:

 To investigate the knowledge about the concepts, recommendations and benefits of

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