Abstract

Background: Breast milk is an unequaled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants and has a unique biological and emotional influence on the health of both mother and child. Objectives: The present study was conducted to study the exclusive breastfeeding practice among females and its asso- ciation with socio-demographic variables. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on mothers attending the immunization clinic, for the period of four months between September 2015 to December 2015. The study was conducted on 400 nursing mothers, who were selected randomly using the simple random technique. Data was analyzed in SPSS 16 trial version. Chi-square test was used for comparison and statistical significance was taken at P value <0.05.
Results: In our study, the majority of the mothers were in the age group of 20-24 years (37.5%) and 93% of them were Hindus. Of the total 62% of the study participants were residing in the rural area. Among 400 study participants, 240(60%) have adhered to exclusive breastfeeding practices. Exclusive breastfeeding practice is more prevalent in females belonging to age group of 25-29 years, which is statistically significant. Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding practice is more prevalent in Hindus, general caste and females residing in the urban area. The reason given by the mother for not exclusively breastfeeding was the inadequacy of milk production. The information regarding the advantages and duration of breastfeeding needs to be provided for the community as a whole.