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Objectives: Breastfeeding is the single most important determinant of infant mortality and under-five mortalities. The objective of the study was to estimate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of mothers regarding the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for breastfeeding. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 350 mothers of children aged 2–5 years in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. Data were collected on sociodemographic variables, knowledge, attitude, and practices of breastfeeding through face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results: About 78.9% knew about early initiation of breastfeeding, 78.6% about exclusive breastfeeding, and 71.1% about breastfeeding till 2 years of age. About 66.9% of mothers initiated early breastfeeding, 60.6% exclusively breastfed, and 48.9% of mothers breastfed their children till 2 years. Only 26% fulfilled all the three criteria of the WHO recommendation for breastfeeding. Conclusion: Although the knowledge and attitude about breastfeeding were good, practices were not optimal. Strong information, education and communication (IEC) activities are needed to encourage mothers regarding breastfeeding practices.
Sekar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.