Determinants of Breastfeeding Practices among Lactating Mothers in a Rural Block of Haryana, India

Background: Human breast milk contributes to the physical growth of infants by meeting their nutritional needs and higher intelligence quotient by enhancing their brain development. Objective: To assess the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and to determine the contributing factors of exclusive breastfeeding practice in a rural area of Haryana. Methods: It was community-based cross-sectional study, conducted in a rural field practice area attached to the Department of Community Medicine of Pt BD Sharma, PGIMS, Rohtak. The study participants were infants aged 6-11 completed months and their mothers. Multistage sampling technique was used for enrolling 200 study subjects. SPSS was us for statistical analysis. Results: 119 (59.5%) infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months. Homemakers were 1.37 times more likely to feed exclusively than working women. Women from joint families were 2.64 times more likely to feed exclusively than women from nuclear families. Exclusive breastfeeding had a statistically significant association with mode of delivery, breastfeeding counselling, motivation to feed till 2 years, receiving postnatal checkup, number of children, initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour, and colostrum being given to infants. Infants given breastfeed within 1 hour had 1.12 times more chance of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: Antenatal breastfeeding counselling and home-based postnatal visits by health workers increases the practice of colostrum administration, initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour, and exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. Capacity building in form of training and sensitisation of hospital staff, MPHW (F), and ASHA will help increase exclusive breastfeeding among lactating mothers. How to cite this article: Jain A, Mital AK, Jain RB, Choudhary P, Atri G, Gupta R, Vijay, Singh T. Determinants of Breastfeeding Practices among Lactating Mothers in a Rural Block of Haryana, India. Int J Preven Curat Comm Med. 2021;7(2):1-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2454.325X.202105