Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Breastfeeding in Urban Community of Lahore: A Cross – Sectional Study

Background: Breastfeeding is the foundation of good health. It promotes both the maternal and child health and thus an important strategy to reduce the infant mortality in Pakistan.Objective: To study the knowledge, attitude and practice of breastfeeding in urban population of Lahore.Study Design: Cross – sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatric Medicine Unit – I, King Edward Medical University / Mayo Hos-pital Lahore from February 15 to May 15, 2010.Material and Methods: After consent, 380 women between the ages 15 – 45 with at least one child below two years of age were interviewed. Their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding breastfeeding were evaluated with the help of pretested questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to analyze the association of economic and educational status with the breastfeeding practices.Results: Study population consisted of 380 women with mean age of 26.3 ± 6 years. Out of total, 283 (74.5%) of women had less than four children. Most of the mothers (34.2%) were educated till high school, while 38% had monthly income of less than Rs.10, 000/-. Three hundred and nineteen (83.9%) women had knowledge that milk is the best diet for infants. One hundred and fifty nine (41.8%) mothers reported benefits of breast milk as adequate nutrition, and easy to digest while 119 (31.3%) reported it beneficial for themselves as well. Statistically significant association was found between educational status and knowledge about breast feeding (p-value = 0.000). Two hundred and thirty six (62.1%) had positive attitude towards breastfeeding. Results were statistically significant for positive attitude towards breastfeeding and educational status (p value 0.001). Regarding optimum breastfeeding practices, 291(76%) mothers breast feed their children among whom 237 (81%) mothers initiated breast milk during first an half hour of birth. Majority (24.5%) of mothers breast fed considering it good for health of their child. Eighty nine (23.4%) mothers did not breast feed and major reason (7.6%) being milk did not flow in. Results were statistically significant for reasons of not breast feeding and economic status (p-value = 0.012).Conclusion: Urban women of Lahore have adequate knowledge and positive attitude but optimum breast feeding practices need to be strengthened.