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KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES ABOUT BREASTFEEDING AMONG LACTATING AND NON-LACTATING MOTHERS HAVING CHILDREN LESS THAN 2 YEARS OF AGE VISITING PEDIATRIC OUT PATIENT DEPARTMENT (OPD) JINNAH HOSPITAL LAHORE (JHL)

Dr. Aina Khalid, Dr Qurat-ul-ain, Dr. Maria Iqbal

Background: Adequate nutrition is critical to child health and development, when we talk about children under2 years of age, the best way of food intake with sufficient nutrition is through lactation. According to the UNICEF report (2006) the infant mortality in Pakistan stands at 78/1000, making it the highest rate in the world as feeding practices in Pakistan are suboptimal. Breastfeeding is the best practice for optimal maternal and child health. The objective of this study is to assess knowledge, attitude and practices about lactation among mothers visiting Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out by using non probability purposive sampling technique. A total of 200 mothers, lactating or non lactating, having children less than two years of age were selected and interviewed regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices of breastfeeding. Result: Out of 200, there were 168(84%) lactating and 32(16%) non lactating mothers who participated in this study; out of which 135(67.5%) belonged to Lahore. The knowledge of breastfeeding is prevailing among society as 154 (77%) participants were educated about it by their mothers. There was a 99% positive attitude towards breastfeeding. There was a large percentage of mothers breastfeeding their children and the main reason for the 32(15%) of the mothers who were not lactating was insufficient milk production. Conclusion: The overall knowledge among the mothers was at a good scale, there was a strong positive attitude towards breastfeeding and there was a healthy breastfeeding practices among the mothers. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Lactating and non lactating mothers.

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