Morbidity and nutritional status among exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding infants in selected hospitals of Kathmandu.

Thesis Report.

ABSTRACT: Breastfeeding is the universally acceptable means of infant feeding in Nepal; with 35.4% initiation within 1 hour but exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is in decreasing trend. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends EBF for the first six months of infants' life. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) also considered EBF for six months as one of the most effective interventions to achieve MDG-4. A study on morbidity and Nutritional Status among Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Breastfeeding (Non-EBF) Infants was conducted to assess their morbidities as well as nutritional status. The study was descriptive comparative with the population of mother-infant pairs attending Maternal and Child Health Clinic of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, and Helping Hands Community Hospital, Chabahil for immunization. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was adopted to select 120 respondents, 60 exclusively breastfeeding infants and 60 non-exclusively breastfeeding infants. Data were collected by interview method using Nepali version questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were taken. Analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. Majority of the mothers were in the age group 20 to 30 years and exclusive breastfeeding was comparatively high to other age groups. According to the mode of delivery, EBF was 58% in vaginal/instrumental delivery whereas in cesarean section EBF was only 31%. The study revealed that morbidity in the last 2 weeks preceding the interview was high among non-EBF infants. The percentage of diarrhoea 71%, fever 73% and cough 63% respectively in non-EBF infants which were comparatively high to EBF infants but statistically the incidence of morbidities was not significant. Underweight was found only in non- EBF infants in 1.7% and in the same way stunting in 1.7% of EBF infants. Wasting was 8.3% which was comparatively high among EBF infants to non-EBF infants. As the morbidity percentages were high among non-EBF infants, the finding indicate the need for health education regarding EBF for six months as recommended by WHO.