A BSTRACT Introduction: Breastfeeding is almost ubiquitous in India; nevertheless, a range of regional differences in the timely initiation of breastfeeding has been documented. Initiation of breastfeeding is highly dependent on cultural factors that may either enhance or inhibit the optimal practices. The government of India introduced National Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding in 2004, resulting in behavior change communications related to breastfeeding. However, there is limited research on the practice of timely initiation of breastfeeding and factors that predict these practices. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and determinant factors of timely initiation of breastfeeding among mothers in Aligarh District, UP, India. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from July 2014 to Jan 2015 using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A total of 300 mother-infant pairs were selected using a systematic random sampling method and key informants for the in-depth interview were selected conveniently. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were employed to identify factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding. Results: The prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding was 51.3%. Bivariate analysis resulted in mothers with formal education, belonging to urban areas, and delivering in a government institution to be significantly associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: The practice of timely initiation of breastfeeding is low as nearly half the mothers did not start breastfeeding within 1 hour after delivery. The results suggest that breastfeeding behavior change communication to promote optimal initiation of breastfeeding should be directed to the uneducated, rural mothers and especially those delivering at home need attention as they have lesser contact with various health personnel.
Priya et al. (Sun,) studied this question.