Practice of Breast Feeding Under Two Years Children Amoung Mothers in a Selected Slum of Dhaka City

Abstract

A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 240 mothers who had children under two years. Mean age of tlw resputulou was 26.73 years. Most of the mother (60.83%) had dtildren tuuler the age group of 6 months. Fifty three pen.ent respondent and their husbands (47.92%) completed primary level of education and monthly im.onte of them was within 5000-10000 !aka in 39.17% (teases. Most of the respondent (78%) thought that breast milk was most safe food for baby and 82% knew what colostrum was. Only 35% of respondents acquired knowledge about breast feeding from donor and health workers and 32% of mothers thought supplementaty foods should start at the age of 3 months. but .19% of mothers started giving supplementary foods at age of 6 months. It was seen that among breast feed children 51% of them frequently felt sick. Majority of the respondent's children (33%) suffered from common cold and cough and 22% suffered front diarrhoea! diseases. Even after a huge mass publicities and mobilization for many years to promote exclusive breast feeding. only 27% mothers know the duration of exclusive breast-feeding correctly as 6 months. Thus it is obvious that there is a large knowledgesto-pradice gap.